EL1 Altoona Curve

Altoona Curve Game Information

June 22, 2013 - Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release


ABOUT LAST NIGHT...: Altoona managed to get the tying run to the plate in the top half of the ninth inning, but had their eight-game winning streak snapped by the Bowie Baysox. Adalberto Santos led the way for the Curve offen- sively going 4-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base, while getting his third start of the season at the top of the batting order. Nick Kingham suffered the loss in the first road start of his Double-A career. The right-hander worked 6.1 innings allowing seven hits and five runs, while recording six strikeouts. Carlos Paulino produced a pair of hits and scored to runs. Gift Ngoepe knocked home two runs for the second time in as many games.

CURVE/BAYSOX SERIES: Despite being in the same division, this will be the first of just two series that the Curve and Baysox will play one another. Bowie visits Curve, Pa. just once in 2013 and that visit comes from July 15-17. Altoona actually plays more games against non-division foe Binghamton, playing 15 games throughout the course of 2013 against the B-Mets.

FOR ALTOONA: Toeing the rubber for the second in the three-game set will be RHP Jameson Taillon takes the mound looking to start a new winning streak. The start for Taillon will be his second since his spot was skipped in the rota- tion due to a stiff neck. Taillon will make his first appearance this season against the Baysox on Saturday. He last started on June 16 at Peoples Natural Gas Field against the Trenton Thunder. The right-hander went 5.0 innings al- lowing six hits and one unearned run in that outing. Taillon was on a pitch count of 75 due to a long layoff between trips to the mound.

FOR BOWIE: RHP Devin Jones began the season with High-A Frederick making just one start before being promoted to Bowie. Jones has remained in Double-A ever since the promotion making 12 starts in the Eastern League posting a 3-2 mark with an ERA of 4.84. The native of Starksville, Miss. has been roughed up in three starts thus far in June posting going 0-0 with a 5.29 ERA. Last time out for Jones, he worked six innings allowing seven hits and four runs on June 16 at Binghamton. He did set a new season-high in that outing for strikeouts fanning nine B-Mets hitters. Jones was selected by the Baltimore Orioles on the ninth round of the 2011 draft out of Mississippi State. The right-hander entered the season ranked as the number 18 prospect in the Orioles system according to Baseball America.

ENTER SANZMAN: RHP Luis Sanz has been moved back into the closer role where he began the season and the move seems to have paid off for the hard-throwing righty. In his last four appearances, Sanz has converted on four save tries and not allowed a run (4.0 IP) while striking out six. He's six-for-six in save tries this season.

JOLTIN JAREK CUNNINGHAM: Second baseman Jarek Cunningham crushed his 14th home run of the season on Thursday night to break a 4-4 tie in the seventh inning and help lift the Curve to a win. His 14 home runs now are tied for the league and team lead with the departed Andrew Lambo, who had 14 before his promotion to Triple-A. Caleb Joseph from Bowie and Jim Murphy of Reading are also tied for the league lead with 14 home runs. The 14 home runs by Cunningham are one shy of his career-high of 15, which was set during the 2011 season with High-A Bradenton. He accomplished that feat in just 80 games that season.

KING FOR A DAY (OR THREE): Curve skipper Carlos Garcia will not be with the team this weekend as he is attending the graduation of his son from high school.

NO JUNE SWOON: Altoona had their eight-game winning streak snapped in Bowie on Friday night, but still have found success in the third month of the season. The Curve are now 12-4 in the month of June, which is the win- ningest month of the season, surpassing April's 11 victories. In the month of June, Altoona has posted its best team batting average thus far for any month, batting .273 through the first 16 games. The club hit .231 in April (25 games) and .230 in May (30 games).

WE LOVE THE EIGHTIES: The Curve's eight-game win streak that was snapped yesterday was the longest of the 2013 season and is the longest streak since the 2010 Eastern League Champion Curve won eight straight from May 20-26, 2010. The longest winning streak in franchise history is 10 games, set back in 2005 (July 24 - August 2).

SAN-TOASTED: Adalberto Santos returned to the line-up on Friday in Bowie after an off day on the last day of the homestand. Santos hit in the top spot in the order and went 4-for-5 with an RBI and stole his eleventh base of the season in thirteen chances. The month of June has been kind to the third baseman. He is hitting .340 (17-50) in 14 games this month with a home run, seven RBI, and eight runs scored.

DAZZLING DEBUTS: Eliecer Navarro became the third player in the last week to turn in a great Double-A debut. The left-hander re-joined Gregory Polanco and Nick Kingham, all of whom began the season with the Braden- ton Marauders. Navarro went six innings scattering four hits and allowing two runs only one of which was earned. He issued a pair of free passes and has not issued more than two walks in any of his starts so far this season.

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Eastern League Stories from June 22, 2013


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