Curve beat Reading, 5-1
August 28, 2004 - Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release
ALTOONA, PA)- After struggling through July, Bryan Bullington has found his groove in August.
The right-hander tossed six effective innings Saturday to win his fifth consecutive start as the Altoona Curve downed the Reading Phillies, 5-1 at Blair County Ballpark.
Altoona (79-53) set a new franchise record for wins in a season and increased its lead to four games over second-place Erie in the Eastern League's Southern Division. The Curve, which clinched a playoff spot Friday, reduced their magic number to clinch the division title to seven.
A crowd of 7,758--which pushed the Curve to a new single-season attendance mark--saw Bullington (12-7) scatter seven hits, yielding one run, walking one and striking out four.
The first overall pick in the 2002 draft has gone 5-0 with a 3.13 ERA since August 7. His season-total of 12 victories ranks second in the Eastern League.
Offensively, the Curve scored single runs in the first and third innings to provide all the support Bullington would need. Mike Moriarty reached on an error in the first, moved to third on a single by Jorge Cortes, and scored on a double play.
In the third, Moriarty and Cortes collaborated again. With two out, Moriarty walked and Cortes doubled him home for a 2-0 advantage.
The Phillies cut the lead to one on an RBI single by John Castellano in the top of the sixth. However, a two-run homer by Tom Evans in the bottom of the inning would bolster the advantage to 4-1. The blast to left center was Evans third with the Curve and first since his two-homer game at New Hampshire on August 10.
The game's final run came in the eighth inning when Evans doubled and scored on a single by Ray Sadler.
Eddie Candelario got Bullington and the Curve out of a two-on, nobody-out situation in the seventh. The reliever, who began this season with Reading, struck out pinch-hitter Chris Cosbey. He then enduced Ryan Fleming to hit into an inning-ending double play.
Candelario finished out the game with two more scoreless innings to pick up his second save.
The Curve will look for the sweep of the three-game series Sunday at 6:05 p.m. Right-hander Ian Snell (10-7, 3.31) goes for Altoona while Reading hands the ball to right-hander Shane Bowers (0-0, 2.25).
The gates at Blair County Ballpark will open at 5 p.m. with the game to be followed by Fireworks courtesy of Joseph T. Berrena Mechanicals.
Eastern League Stories from August 28, 2004
- Curve beat Reading, 5-1 - Altoona Curve
- Thunder fall to Binghamton - Trenton Thunder
- Curve establishes fifth consecutive single-season attendance mark - Altoona Curve
- Walter Young breaks Baysox single-season home run record - Chesapeake Baysox
- Season ending awards for Senators - Harrisburg Senators
- Fisher Cats clinch playoff berth with 1-hitter,7-0 over Erie - New Hampshire Fisher Cats
- 2004 Awards Presented - Harrisburg Senators
- Grove wins community service and fan favorite awards - Trenton Thunder
- Trading Spaces' Carter Oosterhouse to appear at Blair County Ballpark Tuesday - Altoona Curve
- Senators promote pitcher Jason Stevenson - Harrisburg Senators
- Danny Solano returns to New Hampshire - New Hampshire Fisher Cats
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