Rumble-Ponies
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EASTERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS DIVISION CHAMPIONS PLAYOFF APPEARANCES PLAYERS TO MLB 2010, 2017 2004, 2010, 2017, 2018 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 169 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 June 27, 2019 -- Game #75, Second Half Game #8, Home Game #36 Binghamton Rumble Ponies (38-35, 3-5) vs. Altoona Curve (39-35, 4-3) RHP Andrew Church (0-1, 4.32) vs. LHP Domingo Robles (1-1, 4.05) 6:30 p.m. | Peoples Natural Gas Field | Altoona, Pa. Radio -- WRTA 98.5 FM & Curve Radio Network | TV -- MiLB.TV UPCOMING GAMES & PITCHING PROBABLES Fri., June 28 Binghamton 7 p.m. LHP David Peterson (3-2, 4.34) vs. RHP Pedro Vasquez (6-1, 2.24) Sat., June 29 Binghamton 4:30 p.m. RHP Mickey Jannis (3-1, 2.83) vs. LHP Brandon Waddell (0-0, 3.38) Sat., June 29 Binghamton Game 2 TBD vs. LHP Sean Brady (3-7, 5.09) Sun., June 30 Binghamton 6 p.m. TBD vs. RHP James Marvel (8-5, 3.21) THE LAST TIME OUT: Pirates Top 30 prospect Cody Bolton took the mound for his Double-A debut against Richmond 2019 E.L. WESTERN STANDINGS and faced the minimum with six strikeouts over his first four innings. However, the Flying Squirrels worked two Team 2nd Half Overall GB Today walks sandwhiched between two singles to get on the board and chase the young righty with the bases loaded in the fifth. Johneshwy Fargas uncorked a three-run triple on the fourth pitch fromJoel Cesar out of the Curve bullpen Erie 6-1 38-36 -- vs. HBG to push Richmond ahead, 4-2. The Flying Squirrels connected for two more runs in the sixth agianst Austin Coley. Bowie 6-2 36-40 0.5 vs. AKR The Curve built an early 2-0 lead with a pair of RBI singles by Robbie Glendinning while Mitchell Tolman reached Richmond 5-3 28-47 1.5 vs. HFD base four times with two hits and two walks to go with two steals. Altoona 4-3 39-35 2.0 vs. BNG Akron 4-5 38-40 3.0 @ BOW TODAY'S GAME: The 21st season of Altoona Curve Baseball continues as the Curve begin a five-game series against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets. PNG Field absorbed a rain out in Bingham- x-Harrisburg 2-5 44-33 4.0 @ ERI ton on Father's Day to be made up in a double-header on Saturday. The current series will complete the 10-game 2019 E.L. EASTERN STANDINGS season series against Binghamton and is the only visit to Altoona for the Rumble Ponies. Binghamton took 2 of 3 Team 2nd Half Overall GB Today in mid-May at NYSEG Stadium before the Curve returned to sweep the abbreviated, two-game set two weeks ago. The Curve are playing the 12th of 16 straight National League-style games through the end of June before using a x-Trenton 5-3 43-30 -- vs. NHM designated hitter against American League-affiliated squads for all but four games in July. Reading 4-5 43-33 1.5 vs. POR Portland 3-4 30-44 1.5 @ REA THE CURVE: The Curve are 16-7 in June, trailing only Bowie (17-6) for the best record in the Eastern League this Binghamton 4-5 38-35 2.0 @ ALT month, and have won 6 of their last 7 series. The club is poised to have one of the winningest months in team his- Hartford 3-5 40-35 2.0 @ RIC tory, which has been done with 20 wins on three occassions: August 2018, August 2010 and June 2004. Altoona is second in the league in hitting (.251) this month and have gone deep 16 times after a league-low 30 home runs in New Hamp. 2-6 33-42 3.0 @ TRN April and May. Altoona has the best intra-division record (31-21) in their half of the league but are 8-14 against the 2019 CURVE AT A GLANCE Eastern Division. The Curve have reached the E.L. Playoffs in each of the last four seasons, the longest active streak Overall Record ........................................39-34 in the league and tied for the longest run in franchise history (2003-06). First Half ........................................35-32 THE RUMBLE PONIES: Binghamton, a league-worst 7-16 in June, is in the midst of playing or completing nine Second Half ........................................ 4-3 games in six days. They finished a suspended game against Erie on Monday before playing a double-header on Home ...............................................18-17 Wednesday. The Rumble Ponies are coming off losses in 6 of 7 including a three-game sweep to Richmond and los- Road ................................................21-18 ing 3 of 4 to Erie on their latest homestand. Binghamton is the best road team in the league with a 26-12 mark away Place (E.L. Western) .................................. 4th from NYSEG Stadium. The Rumble Ponies lead the Eastern League with 4.3 runs per game and rank second in total Games Ahead/Behind ............................... -2.0 team batting average (.244) and runners in scoring position (.264) but have hit the fewest homers (40) on the circuit. Streak .............................................................L1 The pitching staff ranks 11th with a 3.82 ERA. Last 5............................................................ 3-2 Last 10 ......................................................... 6-4 FOR ALTOONA: Left-hander Domingo Robles makes his fifth Double-A start, second against Binghamton, and 16th overall. He is coming off a season-low four innings pitched and season-high five runs allowed in his last start at 2019 vs. Binghamton ................................ 3-2 Hartford where he allowed three solo homers in the hitter-friendly confines of Dunkin' Donuts Park. Robles was the at Altoona ........................................... 0-0 Opening Day starter for A-Adv. Bradenton this season and is ranked sixth in the Pirates minor league system with a at Binghamton ................................... 3-2 3.05 ERA and is second with 88.2 innings between the two levels. Robles, a 21-year-old native of the Dominican Re- All-time vs. Binghamton .......................98-87 public, was signed by Pittsburgh as an international free agent on July 2, 2014...For more on Robles, see page two. at Altoona .......................................49-40 at Binghamton ...............................49-47 FOR BINGHAMTON: Right-hander Andrew Church takes the hill for his third Double-A outing and fourth appear- ance overall in 2019. Church retired at age 23 last May but returned to baseball after a short step back as a car ‘19 Home Attendance ........................ 134,725 salesman, bartender and trainer. He was the Mets' second round pick in the 2013 draft out of his high school in ............................................33 Henderson, Nev. and rose through the system to reach Double-A Binghamton for one start in 2017. He topped out at Home Openings Triple-A for two games last season before his semi-retirement. Average Attendance ............................... 4,083 ON THE LAST ROAD TRIP HOME COOKIN': Altoona is 13-7 and have won 5 of their last 6 series at PNG Field since May 10. The team started 5-10 through their first 15 home games and currently have a winning record at home for the first time since winning Games...............................................................6 their home opener on April 11. Record .......................................................... 3-3 NO OFFENSE: The Eastern League batting average stands at .237 while teams are scoring 3.96 runs per game. The Average ..................................... .284 (58/204) last time the league average finished under .250 and 4.0 runs per game was in 1989 (.249/3.95). The last time the Runs/Runs Per Game .......................... 27/4.5 E.L. saw offenses hit below .240 and score fewer than 4.0 runs per game was in 1971 (.234/3.57). Home Runs ......................................................4 RISP. ............................................ .306 (19/62) GLOVE TRAIN: The Curve defense has the highest fielding percentage (.985) in Minor League Baseball and have Errors ...............................................................2 turned the third-most double plays (72) among Double-A clubs. Altoona defenders have put away outs with pitchers putting a high rate of balls in play with the fewest strikeouts (521) in the Minors and the fifth-fewest walks (207) ERA... ...............................4.11 (21 ER/46.0 IP) in Double-A. The Curve have set the franchise record for highest team fielding percentage in each of the last three Starter W-L ................................................. 2-1 seasons, which was .980 in 2016 and 2017 before the 2018 club held a .985 mark. Starter ERA ....................3.62 (13 ER/32.1 IP) Reliever W-L ............................................... 1-2 BRAKE MEN: Curve pitchers entered play May 16 with a 4.22 ERA, which ranked last in the league. Over the last 36 Reliever ERA ....................3.86 (8 ER/18.2 IP) games, the pitching staff has lowered it to 3.66 thanks to a 3.07 ERA (106 ER/310.2 IP), the third-best mark in the Saves/Opps .................................................1/2 league over that period. In June, Altoona pitchers have the second-lowest ERA (2.75) in the league after carrying the highest in the E.L. during May (5.00). Additionally, the bullpen owns a 2.31 ERA (16 ER/62.1 IP) over the last 20 games that included an eight-game stretch of 22 consecutive scoreless innings from June 12-June 21. OLIVA COMING ALIVE: Jared Oliva has been on base in 19 of his last 20 games while batting .311 (23/74) with six multi-hit games, seven doubles, two homers, seven steals, 14 runs and 10 walks since June 3. The Pirates' seventh- round choice in 2017 out of Arizona was hitting a season-low .193 before he started his recent upswing to .234.