Altoona Curve Game Information: May 31, 2017
Published on May 31, 2017 under Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release
YESTERDAY: Wyatt Mathisen hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the tenth inning to bring in Edwin Espinal and the Curve defeated the Akron RubberDucks, 5-4. Jordan Luplow opened the scoring with a solo home run in the second inning, his third in two days. Akron took the lead in the seventh, but the Curve rallied to reclaim a 4-2 lead in the with three straight two-out, RBI singles by Elvis Escobar, Kevin Newman and Pablo Reyes. Akron's Eric Haase and Yu Chang hit solo homers in the ninth to tie the game at 4-4 and force extras. Brandon Waddell tossed six scoreless innings in the no-decision. Tate Scioneaux allowed a career-high four runs over three innings. Buddy Borden tossed a scoreless top of the tenth and picked up his fourth win of the season. TODAY: The Curve play the second of a three-game series against the Akron RubberDucks. The Curve swept a three-game series against the 'Ducks at PNG Field April 13-15 and were swept in three games April 21-23. The Curve took two of three at Canal Park May 4-7 before being swept by the 'Ducks in four games last week. This series marks Akron's final trip to Altoona this season. The Curve play a three-day, four-game series in Akron July 7-9. FOR ALTOONA: Right-hander Tanner Anderson makes his makes his ninth start of the season and third against Ak- ron. Last time out, he worked out of the bullpen and allowed three runs in the bottom of the eighth in his only inning, picking up his fourth straight loss. He started the season 2-1 with a 1.98 ERA in five starts, but he has gone 0-4 with a 8.59 ERA (14 ER/14.2 IP) in his last four outings (three starts). He faced Akron on April 15 and worked 5.2 score- less innings in his first Double-A win. He was charged with a loss against Akron in his next start on April 21, allowing three earned runs in 5.2 innings at Canal Park. He opened up 2017 in the Altoona rotation after primarily working as a reliever through his first two professional seasons. He worked three scoreless, one-hit innings in Game 4 of the FSL Championship Series last year and got the final out to clinch the league title. He worked as a starter in the Arizona Fall League, posting a 3.76 ERA in seven outings. Anderson is a native of Tampa and a graduate of Harvard University, where he pitched, played shortstop and third base and was an All-Ivy League second baseman. For more on Anderson, see page two.
FOR AKRON: Right-hander Matt Esparza makes his Double-A debut for the RubberDucks. In nine starts with A-Adv. Lynchburg, he went 3-3 with a 3.26 ERA. Last time out, he tossed six innings and allowed one earned run with seven strikeouts at Wilmington last Wednesday. Esparza was drafted by the Indians in the 14th round in 2015 out of UC Ir- vine. He went 10-10 with a 3.36 ERA in 27 games (26 starts) last year between Lynchburg and Single-A Lake County, and he was named an MiLB.com Organizational All-Star. PITCH PERFECT: Over the last eleven games since May 20, the Curve pitching staff has posted a 2.45 ERA (27 ER/99.0 IP). Opponents have scored 29 runs in that stretch (2.6/game) and have not scored more than four runs in a single game. AIR JORDAN: Left fielder Jordan Luplow is tied for third in the E.L. with 11 home runs on the season. His .560 slug- ging percentage is fifth in the league. He hit two homers in a single game on Monday at Erie for the second time this year, and followed with another home run on Tuesday night against Akron. All three of the home runs were solo hom- ers. He ranks tied for fourth in the league with 29 runs scored and third in HR/AB ratio (1/14.45). KRAMERICA INDUSTRIES: Curve second baseman Kevin Kramer is hitting .319 (53/166), eighth-best in the league. He is ranked fourth in the league with a .406 on-base percentage, sixth with a .542 slugging percentage, and tied second with 16 doubles. He has also been hit by a pitch a league-leading nine times. He has reached base in 38 of 43 games he has played and has at least one hit in 34 of his 43 games. Over his last nine games, Kramer is hitting .171 (6/35) with 14 strikeouts.
WY NOT: In his last 16 games since May 9, Wyatt Mathisen is batting .380 (19/50) with one homer and six RBIs. Dur- ing that stretch, he has raised his season batting average from .274 to .321. He hit a walk-off single on Tuesday night to lift the Curve to a 5-4 win in ten innings against Akron. ROYAL REYES: Beginning with a four-hit game on May 9, Pablo Reyes is batting .319 (21/66) with five doubles and ten RBIs over his last 17 games. EDWINNING: 2016 E.L. All-Star Edwin Espinal leads the team with 31 RBIs. He has the best strikeout rate in the league (10.17 TPA/SO) and had multiple strikeouts in a game just three times. His .307 batting average is tied for the 12th-best in the Eastern League. VIEW FROM THE TOP: The Curve have held first place for 43 of their 49 games this season and 36 straight games since April 18. Dating back to July 24, 2016, they have been in first place in the Western Division for 77 of 85 games, including 36 straight games until the last two games of the year. DU-RAP IT UP: Altoona closer Montana DuRapau finished second in the Eastern League with 22 saves last year, tied for fourth-most in Curve history. It was tied for the second-most for a Curve pitcher in a season since 2007, behind only 24 by Noah Krol in 2011. He finished last season first in the E.L. with 43 games finished and fourth with 50 appearances. With his six-out save on May 19, DuRapau now sits alone with 30 career saves, passing Matt Peterson (2003-06) for the most in Curve franchise history. DuRapau is fourth in the E.L. with eight saves and tied for second with 15 games finished.
Eastern League Stories from May 31, 2017
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- Offense Comes Alive in Bowie - Erie SeaWolves
- Four-Run First Costs Baysox in 8-3 Loss - Chesapeake Baysox
- Binghamton Scores Four Runs Late, Thwarting Thunder Comeback - Trenton Thunder
- Ponies' Rumble Tops Trenton's Thunder, 5-3 - Binghamton Rumble Ponies
- Yard Goats Game Suspended by Rain - Hartford Yard Goats
- Four-Game Win Streak Snapped as Curve Slip against 'Ducks - Altoona Curve
- Sever and Chang triples back Esparza, Ducks win 4-2 - Akron RubberDucks
- Roster Moves: RHP J.P. Feyereisen Heads to Triple-A SWB - Trenton Thunder
- Erie SeaWolves vs. Bowie Baysox - Game Notes - Erie SeaWolves
- Altoona Curve Game Information: May 31, 2017 - Altoona Curve
- Bowie Baysox, Autism FYI and One World Center for Autism Celebrates Autism Awareness Month - Chesapeake Baysox
- Jacoby Brissett Scheduled to Make Hadlock Field Appearance on June - Portland Sea Dogs
- French Makes Toast of Squirrels as Goats Win 12-2 - Hartford Yard Goats
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