EL1 Altoona Curve

Curve lefty has won three in a row

Published on August 21, 2008 under Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release


ALTOONA - Southpaw Kyle Bloom tossed seven magnificent innings to power the Altoona Curve to a 4-3 win over the Portland Sea Dogs on Thursday night at Blair County Ballpark.

With the win, the Curve (60-72) were able to grab the series victory against the Boston Red Sox Double-A affiliate.

Bloom (5-7) enjoyed his longest outing of the season by tossing the seven shutout frames. The lefty faced just two batters over the minimum, allowing a pair of hits. Bloom struck out six and did not walk a batter en route to notching his third straight win.

Offensively, Bloom was supported by Angel Gonzalez, whose RBI double off Portland starter Ryne Lawson (1-1) in the second inning put the Curve in front, 1-0.

Altoona would tack on two more in the bottom of the third. Jamie Romak (1-for-2) extended his hitting streak to seven games with a two-run double to give the Curve a 3-0 edge. Romak has collected 12 RBI's in his last six games.

Altoona would grab a much-needed insurance run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Jose Tabata, who enjoyed a 2-for-2 night, smacked a one-out triple and would later score on Jim Negrych's double to make it 4-0.

Tabata extended his hitting streak to six games in the contest, while Negrych (1-for-3) has recorded hits in his last seven games.

Josh Shortslef relieved Bloom in the eighth. Shortslef allowed back-to-back base hits to put two runners on for the Sea Dogs (69-59). Mickey Hall then stepped to the plate and smashed a three-run homer to right field to cut the Curve advantage to one, 4-3.

Shortslef recovered, though and pitched a scoreless ninth frame to lock down the Curve victory.

The Curve return to action on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. in the first game of a three-game set against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays).

Altoona will send right-hander Jared Hughes (2-1, 2.91) to the hill, while New Hampshire will send former Pirates' righty Marty McLeary (0-0, 5.79) to oppose.

Following Friday's game all fans can enjoy a spectacular post-game fireworks show, courtesy of Penn State Altoona. Also, all kids are invited to run the bases, thanks to Thomas Chevrolet of Bedford.

Great seats for Friday's game, and the remaining seven Curve home games are still available. To obtain tickets, fans can call 877-99-CURVE, log on to AltoonaCurve.com or stop by in person at the Blair County Ballpark ticket windows.

NOTES - The seven inning performance by Bloom is the 13th time this year a Curve starter has tossed at least seven innings. Altoona is 11-2 when a Curve hurler goes at least seven frames.

Check out the Altoona Curve Statistics

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



Eastern League Stories from August 21, 2008


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