Curve Losing Skid Reaches Seven After 6-2 Loss At Akron
May 23, 2007 - Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release
AKRON- The Akron Aeros broke a 2-2 tie with a three-run sixth inning and went on to hand the Altoona Curve their seventh consecutive loss, 6-2, Wednesday night at Canal Park in Akron.
The seven-game skid is the club's first since June 2001 and moves Altoona (19-23) just four games shy of the longest losing streak in franchise history. The Curve lost a franchise-record 11 consecutive games from April 15-26, 2000.
With the score even at 2-2 into the sixth, the Aeros (24-18) put the first two runners of the inning on base thanks to consecutive walks from Curve starter Kip Bouknight. The next batter, Brian Barton, lifted a fly ball into left-center field that center fielder Andrew McCutchen bobbled and dropped, allowing Asdrubal Cabrera to score the eventual winning run. A Ryan Goleski RBI single and a wild pitch allowed the other two runs in the sixth to score.
Bouknight (4-2) took the loss for Altoona, allowing five runs -- four earned -- on four hits over 5 1/3 innings of work. The right-hander, who opened the season by winning each of his first four decisions, has lost back-to-back starts, including last Thursday's 15-3 drubbing by Portland, which started the Curve's current seven-game losing streak.
Meanwhile, Akron's Chuck Lofgren, another the Cleveland Indians' talented young arms, went six strong innings to notch the Aeros' third straight win to the open the series against the Curve. Lofgren (4-3), a 21-year old lefty, who won a minor league-leading 17 games for Class-A Kinston in 2006, won his fourth game for the Aeros, allowing two runs in six innings of work.
Mariano Gomez came out of the Akron bullpen to pitch two scoreless innings and earn his second save of the season.
The starter Lofgren's lone mistake of the game came in the top of the third, when outfielder Adam Boeve touched him up for a two-run homer to give Altoona an early 2-0 lead. The longball was the fifth of the year for Boeve, who has picked up hits in 14 of his last 15 contests.
Akron eventually tied the game in the bottom of the fifth, when Ryan Goleski tripled home a run and then scored on Trevor Crowe's sacrifice fly.
In addition to Boeve's home run, the Curve offense was led by lead-off man Matt Meath, who went 3-for-4 and was Altoona's lone hitter to post more than one base hit. Meath, who has only seen action in six games, is 7-for-14 (.500) on the season.
The Curve will look to salvage the final game of the four-game set against Akron and avoid an eighth straight loss overall as they take on the Aeros at 10:35 AM Thursday at Canal Park. Altoona will send Josh Shortslef (0-5, 3.52) to the mound in search of his first victory of the season, while Akron will counter with right-hander Joe Ness (2-0, 6.51).
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