Altoona Curve Game Information
Published on April 8, 2014 under Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release
ABOUT YESTERDAY: The Curve were scheduled to open up a three-game series against the Akron RubberDucks, but due to rain, the game was postponed. This is the third time in the 2014 season that Altoona has had a home game postponed due to rain, matching the total number of home openers lost in 2013 and 2011. Altoona and Akron will make up these games as part of a doubleheader on Saturday, May 3, beginning at 4:30 p.m. at Peoples Natural Gas Field. Curve, Pa. wasn't the only area affected by Mother Nature on Monday. Every team in the Eastern League had their games postponed due to the rain.
CURVE/RUBBERDUCKS SERIES: Tuesday night's game is the first of 20 matchups between the two clubs and the first of ten to be played at Peoples Natural Gas Field. The Curve haven't had the best luck against the RubberDucks, who are formerly known as the Akron Aeros. In the 16-year history of the Curve, the team holds a 144-172 record all time against Akron. Last season was no different for the Curve, as they dropped 13 of the 22 matchups against Akron including 8 losses in 11 games at home.
FOR ALTOONA: Southpaw Joely Rodriguez gears up for his Double-A debut against Akron. The native of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic is ranked as the 30th-best prospect in the Pirates organization according to Baseball America. Rodriguez spent the 2013 campaign split between the West Virginia Power and the Bradenton Marauders. The 22-year-old began his previous season with the West Virginia Power and went 5-5 with a 2.72 ERA in 14 starts and 72.2 innings pitched. After the South Atlantic League All-Star Game, Rodriguez was promoted to the Marauders and made his debut in late-June. In 12 starts with the Marauders, Rodriguez went 4-3 with a 2.67 ERA and threw 67.1 innings pitched with only 19 walks. In order to be protected from the Rule 5 draft, Rodriguez was added onto the Pittsburgh Pirates in November of 2013. For more on Rodriguez, see page two.
FOR AKRON: Right hander Kyle Davies is scheduled to start the first game of the series for the RubberDucks. Origi- nally a 4th round draft pick by the Atlanta Braves in 2001, Davies spent seven years in the Major Leagues, amassing a 43-65 record with a 5.59 ERA in seven combined seasons with the Braves and the Kansas City Royals. Davies' last game in the bigs was on July 25, 2011. At the end of 2011, Davies was sent to the Toronto Blue Jays organization and finished his season in Triple-A. After not playing any games in 2012, Davies was signed to a minor-league deal by the Minnesota Twins in 2013 and appeared in 12 games between the GCL Twins, High-A Fort Myers Miracle, and Double-A New Britain. Last year, Davies went 3-0 in six starts with the Rock Cats and held a 3.49 ERA. The 30-year- old was signed by the Indians this offseason to a minor-league deal.
DIAZ IS DAZZLING: In the two games he has played this year, Elias Diaz has gone 4-for-5 which includes his two- RBI double in Sunday's victory over the SeaWolves. The 23 year old was acquired by the Pirates as a non-drafted free agent in 2008 from Maracaibo, Venezuela and spent all of 2013 with the Bradenton Marauders. While there, Diaz batted .279 with two home runs and 15 RBI. After throwing out only 26% of base stealers in 2013, Diaz threw out both runners who tried to steal against him Sunday and is 2-of-3 so far this season.
PROSPECTOR: The 2014 Altoona Curve Opening Day roster contains seven of the Top-30 prospects in the Pirates system according to Baseball America. Nick Kingham (No. 5), Alen Hanson (No. 6), Willy Garcia (No. 14), Stetson Allie (No. 23), Adrian Sampson (No. 27), Gift Ngoepe (No. 29), and Joely Rodriguez (No. 30) make up the seven players on the list. Kingham also is listed as having the system's best changeup and best control, Ngoepe the system's best defensive infielder and Garcia the best outfield arm. Hanson also found himself on some additional prospect lists entering the 2014 season, checking in as the 67th-best prospect entering 2014 according to MLB. com and the 76th-best in the Baseball America Top-100. Kingham joined Hanson on the BA list and is slotted as the 64th-best prospect in MiLB.
THE CUPID SHUFFLE: Three of the four Altoona infielders from the Opening Day lineup spent time with the Curve in 2013. While the same group of players is returning, some will be playing in different positions. Jarek Cunning- ham, who primarily played second base in each of the last two seasons and has logged 429 career games at second base (of 470 played), will move to third base in 2014 (30 previous games played in his MiLB career). Gift Ngoepe, who played at short during his stint with the Curve in 2013, will move to the vacated second base spot. Ngoepe has logged 85 games (of his 364 total games played) at second base and last played there in Bradenton in 2012.
HUNGRY HOWIE: Justin Howard returns to Altoona to begin the 2014 season after putting up an impressive cam- paign with the Curve in 2013. Howard, who didn't play consistently the first few months of the season, ended up being one of the best hitters in all of Double-A over the last few months of the season. The University of New Mexico product batted .333 after June 1 (80-for-240) with seven homers and 26 RBI. The .333 average was the third-best average for any player at the Double-A level over the same time frame with at least 70 games played.
HE MUST WORKOUT: Outfielder Willy Garcia (No. 14 - Baseball America) joins the Curve to start the season, which will be his first in Double-A. Garcia led the entire Pirates minor league system and Florida State League in outfield assists in 2013, throwing out 20 runners. The Curve record for outfield assists in a season is 18, which was set by Starling Marte in 2011.
THE 5 MILLIONTH FAN: The Curve welcomed the five millionth fan to the ballpark on Sunday. Aaron Haselbarth from Altoona received a prize pack that consists of a trip for two to Pirates Spring Training with the Altoona Curve Booster Club in 2015, Altoona Curve season tickets for life, a honor- ary captainship on the Curve Alumni Team during the Curve, Pa. Heroes Game at the Eastern League All-Star Stop presented by UPMC Health Plan, a personalized Curve jersey and a personal parking space in the VIP Parking Lot.
Eastern League Stories from April 8, 2014
- Baysox Split Doubleheader with Richmond - Chesapeake Baysox
- Bats Explode Again, 10-1 Win over Sea Dogs - Trenton Thunder
- Squirrels Split a Pair in Bowie - Richmond Flying Squirrels
- Trenton Brings the Thunder Early, Portland Falls 10-1 - Portland Sea Dogs
- Curve Walk Off with 4-3 win on Garcia's HR - Akron RubberDucks
- Offense Rips, Bullpen Roars in 7-2 Victory - Binghamton Rumble Ponies
- Wilson Homers But Bullpen Falters in 6-5 Loss - New Hampshire Fisher Cats
- Rock Cats Fall to Harrisburg; Lose 6-2 - New Britain Rock Cats
- Hewitt Walk-Off Single In Bottom of 9th Wins It - Reading Fightin Phils
- Blast Off: Garcia Walks Curve off against 'Ducks - Altoona Curve
- Tyler Austin Back in Trenton - Trenton Thunder
- Altoona Curve Game Information - Altoona Curve
- Sea Dogs Game Notes April 8 at Trenton (Game 5) - Portland Sea Dogs
- B-Mets Game Notes: Game #5 - B-Mets (2-2) vs. Erie SeaWolves (2-1) - Binghamton Rumble Ponies
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