EL1 Altoona Curve

Altoona Curve Game Information

Published on May 1, 2013 under Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release


ABOUT LAST NIGHT...: The Aeros rebounded from being shut out by the Curve on Monday by shutting out the Curve on Tuesday night, 5-0, at Peoples Natural Gas Field. Altoona managed only four hits in the nine-inning contest with two of them coming from first baseman Matt Curry. Starter David Bromberg (0-3) made just his second start of the season and pitched well in a losing effort. The California-born Bromberg turned in a quality start, giving up three runs in six innings, but wound up on the wrong side of the win-loss column. Andy Vasquez finished the day 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to nine games.

CURVE/AEROS SERIES: The Curve welcome in Akron for the first of three series at Peoples Natural Gas Field this season and the second overall series between the two teams. In Akron on the season-opening road trip, Altoona went 1-1 before the final game of the series was postponed due to rain. Akron does not return to Curve, Pa. after this series until early August.

FOR ALTOONA: Back to the hill for the second time this homestand will be RHP Casey Sadler, who is looking to rebound off his worst start of the 2013 season last time out. The Stillwater, Okla. native only lasted four innings last time out after going at least five in each of his first four starts. He permitted four runs (three earned) in his four in- nings and also suffered his first defeat on the young season. Prior to his start vs. Erie on Friday, the Curve had been 4-0 in games that Sadler started. This will be Sadler's first start against the Aeros this season and his first versus an Indians affiliate since making a start versus Mahoning Valley out of the bullpen on Aug. 26, 2010 as a member of the State College Spikes. Both Carlos Moncrief and Jesus Aguilar, currently everyday players with Akron, were in the lineup that day for the Scrappers. For more on Sadler, see page two.

FOR AKRON: LHP Mike Rayl, who was scheduled to start on Tuesday, now goes in tonight's game for Akron and will be making his first start of the 2013 season. Rayl, 24, has yet to make a start in 2013 because of a torn fingernail on his pitching hand that he suffered in Spring Training. Therefore, the lefty stayed back in Extended Spring Train- ing until being promoted to start in this series vs. Altoona. It will be Rayl's second-career Double-A start and both will have come against the Curve strangely enough. Rayl was promoted for one start at the end of 2012 and made his Double-A debut on Aug. 27 at Peoples Natural Gas Field in the second game of a doubleheader. Altoona touched Rayl up for seven runs (five earned) on eight hits in three innings. He made 27 starts for High-A Carolina in 2012 before being promoted, going 10-9 with a 4.28 ERA.

WELL THAT'S JUST FINE AND ANDY: IF/OF Andy Vasquez has put on quite a show at the plate in his last nine games played, hitting safely in all nine to a tune of 15-for-35 (.429). He's driven in three runs and scored five during the same stretch. Entering play on Wednesday, the native of the Dominican Republic is hitting .345 in 16 games with two doubles, two homers and four RBI.

WILL I BE GETTING AN INHERITANCE?: Reliever Nate Baker came in to the game in the eighth inning on Tuesday night and was able to strand the bases loaded after inheriting three runners from Kenn Kasparek. This season, Baker has inherited six total baserunners and stranded all six. As a staff, the bullpen has inherited 26 baserunners so far this season and only three have been allowed to score (11.5%).

I GOT MY SWAGGER BACK: Third baseman Adalberto Santos returned off the Altoona disabled list on Tuesday night and drew a pair of walks in his first game action since April 15. The Bronx, N.Y. native had been sidelined with a left hip strain and is the first member of the Curve team to return from the DL this season. With his pair of walks on Tuesday, Santos has reached base safely in all 10 games he's played in so far. The former Oregon State Beaver has walked eight times in 10 games while batting .400 (10-for-25).

THEY'RE GOING TO WISH THEY HAD A STOLM WARNING: Curve starter Stolmy Pimentel continued his dominant run to start the 2013 season, which is his first in the Pirates organization. Pimentel has made five starts for the Curve thus far and allowed just one total run in 30.1 innings pitched for an ERA of 0.30. That ERA is second-best in all of Major League or Minor League baseball behind Memphis' John Gast, who has yet to allow a run of any kind in five starts (29.2 IP) for the Redbirds. Pimentel has pitched in 0.2 innings more than Gast and allowed one fewer hit across his five starts to open the season. With Pimentel's seven scoreless on Monday, he now extends his scoreless inning's streak to 17 innings dating back to April 18 in Harrisburg. The only run the San Cristobal, D.R. native al- lowed this season came with one out in the first inning of that start.

WELL, MR. ALDERSON...: After Tim Alderson was able to strand the three baserunners he inherited on Sunday, he then went and pitched a scoreless, hitless ninth inning for his first save of the 2013 season. It was the third time this year that Alderson has turned in a scoreless, hitless outing that exceeds at least one inning. Opponents are batting .108 off the Arizona native and he's struck out 14 batters (with just one walk) in 11.2 innings.

TAKE TO THE PITCH: Altoona enters play on Wednesday with the best staff ERA in the 12-team Eastern League at 3.67. They've allowed the second- fewest amount of runs in the league (99) and the third-fewest amount of hits (197) only to the Reading Fightin Phils' 174 and Portland's (197). Both of those teams, however, have played two fewer games than the Curve. D-UP: Altoona has committed the fewest errors (18) of any team in the 12-team Eastern League. This is in stark contrast to the 2012 Curve team, which committed the most errors in the league (145) and had the worst fielding percentage in the league. Entering play on Wednesday night, Altoona leads the circuit with a .981 fielding percentage.

Check out the Altoona Curve Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Eastern League Stories from May 1, 2013


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central