EASTERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS DIVISION CHAMPIONS PLAYOFF APPEARANCES PLAYERS TO MLB 2010 2004, 2010 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 144 2010, 2015, 2016 BATTING AVG.: .254 (9th) August 31, 2017 -- Game #136, Road Game #70 BATTING AVG.: .251 (10th) TEAM HR: 95 (9th) TEAM HR: 88 (10th) WALKS: 436 (6th) Altoona Curve (71-64) vs. Richmond Flying Squirrels (60-75) WALKS: 390 (12th) STRIKEOUTS: 895 (T-11th) LHP Brandon Waddell (3-3, 3.66) vs. RHP Dan Slania (5-3, 3.62) STRIKEOUTS: 938 (7th) TEAM ERA: 3.70 (3rd) TEAM ERA: 4.03 (5th) WALKS: 451 (6th) 6:35 p.m. | The Diamond | Richmond, Va. WALKS: 480 (4th) STRIKEOUTS: 1,003 (5th) STRIKEOUTS: 1,004 (6th) () -- EL Rank Radio -- News Talk 1240 WRTA & Curve Radio Network | TV -- MiLB.TV () -- EL Rank UPCOMING GAMES & PITCHING PROBABLES Fri., Sept. 1 Harrisburg 6 p.m. RHP Brady Dragmire (4-1, 2.93) vs. RHP Mitch Keller (1-2, 3.77) Sat., Sept. 2 Harrisburg 6 p.m. RHP Kyle McGowan (1-5, 7.17) vs. RHP Alex McRae (10-5, 3.67) Sun., Sept. 3 Harrisburg 6 p.m. RHP Austin Voth (3-3, 4.84) vs. RHP Austin Coley (5-4, 3.16) Mon., Sept. 4 Harrisburg Noon RHP Taylor Hill (4-6, 5.33) vs. RHP J.T. Brubaker (7-6, 4.51) YESTERDAY: The Curve lost to the Richmond Flying Squirrels, 6-1. Richmond scored three runs in the second and 2017 E.L. WESTERN STANDINGS two runs in the third to open an early 5-0 lead. The Curve avoided being shut out thanks to a pair of two-out hits in Team W-L PCT GB Today the sixth. Jerrick Suiter doubled and Wyatt Mathisen brought him around to score with an RBI single. Daniel Zamora pitched two scoreless innings in his Double-A debut. Johnny Hellweg allowed a solo homer over his two innings. Tate Altoona 71-64 .525 -- @ RIC Scioneaux pitched a scoreless eighth inning. J.T. Brubaker allowed five runs (four earned) over three innings. Bowie 70-65 .519 1.0 v. TRN Akron 65-70 .481 6.0 @ HAR TODAY: The Curve play the finale of a four-game road series against the Richmond Flying Squirrels, Double-A affiliate Erie 64-71 .474 7.0 @ BIN of the San Francisco Giants, the final road series of the Curve's regular season. The Curve won two of three games in Richmond 60-75 .444 11.0 v. ALT their first series against Richmond this year from April 10-12 at The Diamond and swept a two-game set in Altoona form May 2-3. Richmond won two of three games at The Diamond from May 8-10 and took three of four games in Harrisburg 59-76 .437 12.0 v. AKR Altoona from June 9-11. Altoona entered this series having split a four-game series at home against Bowie and have eight wins over the last 13 games. Richmond split a four-game series against Trenton prior to this series, dropping the 2017 E.L. EASTERN STANDINGS final two games, but have won nine of their last 13 games overall. Team W-L PCT GB Today FOR ALTOONA: Left-handerBrandon Waddell takes the mound for his 15th start of the season for the Curve. Last Trenton 89-46 .659 -- @ BOW time out, he allowed one earned run over 5.2 innings in a no-decision against Bowie on Saturday night in Altoona. Binghamton 81-54 .600 8.0 v. ERI Over his last two starts, Waddell is 1-0 with a 0.77 ERA (1 ER/11.2 IP). Waddell is making his seventh start since Reading 70-65 .519 19.0 v. NHM returning from the disabled list after missing seven weeks with a forearm strain. Since returning to action with the Portland 62-73 .459 27.0 @ HFD Curve, Waddell is 3-1 with a 2.87 ERA (10 ER/31.1 IP) over six starts. Waddell began 2016 with A-Adv. Bradenton and went 4-0 with a 0.93 ERA in five starts. He was 7-9 with a 4.12 ERA in 22 outings (20 starts) for the Curve after Hartford 62-73 .459 27.0 v. POR being promoted in May 2016. Waddell was a 2016 MiLB.com Pittsburgh Organization All-Star. He was drafted in the New Hamp. 57-78 .422 32.0 @ REA fifth round in 2015 out of the University of Virginia, where he picked up a win in the clinching game of the 2015 Col- lege World Series against Vanderbilt. For more on Waddell, see page two. 2017 CURVE AT A GLANCE FOR RICHMOND: Right-hander Dan Slania 13th start of the year for the Flying Squirrels. He has also made 12 starts Overall Record ..................................... 71-64 with Triple-A Sacramento, where he went 0-8 with a 7.82 ERA, and made his Major League debut with a scoreless Home ............................................ 37-29 innings pitched for the Giants back on June 30. Slania made one start with Richmond to open the year before a pro- motion to Triple-A and eventually earning a brief MLB call-up. He was sent back to Double-A on June 17. Slania was Road ............................................. 34-35 selected in the fifth round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Giants out of Notre Dame. Place (E.L. Western) .................................1st PLAYOFF BOUND: The Curve solidified a playoff berth for the third straight season with Tuesday night's win at Games Ahead/Behind ...........................+1.0 Richmond. They currently lead the Western Division by one game over Bowie with five games remaining. This year marks the second time in franchise history the Curve have reached the playoffs in three straight seasons (They went to the playoffs in four consecutive years from 2003-2006). The Curve have won their division two times: 2004 and Streak............................................................ L1 2010. In both of those seasons, they advanced to the Eastern League Championship series, losing in the finals to New Last 5 .......................................................... 2-3 Hampshire in 2004 and winning their only E.L. title to date in 2010 over Trenton. The win on Tuesday also locked up Last 10 ........................................................ 6-4 the Curve's 12th winning season in their first 19 years. PITCH PERFECT: Over the last 11 games since August 20, Curve starting pitchers have combined to go 5-3 with a 2017 vs. Richmond .................................. 7-8 2.76 ERA (20 ER/65.1 IP). In that stretch, J.T. Brubaker is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA (8 ER/16 IP) in two starts, Brandon at Altoona ....................................... 3-2 Waddell is 1-0 with a 0.77 ERA (1 ER/11.2 IP) in two starts, Mitch Keller is 1-1 with a 5.06 ERA (6 ER/10.2 IP) in two at Richmond ................................... 4-6 starts, Casey Sadler is 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA (1 ER/9.0 IP) in one start and Alex McRae is 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA (4 ER/11 All-time vs. Richmond ....................... 89-74 IP) in two starts. at Altoona ................................... 54-31 COLE WORLD: Cole Tucker is batting .363 (16/44) over his last 11 games with 10 RBIs, two doubles, a triple and at Richmond ............................... 34-43 one homer. He has picked up five go-ahead hits for the Curve dating back to Aug. 20, when he hit an RBI single in the 10th inning at New Hampshire to lift the Curve to a 6-5 win. On Aug. 21, he clubbed a two-run homer in a 2-0 ‘17 Home Attendance .................... 276,984 win at Hartford. On Aug. 22, he gave the Curve a lead with a two-run triple to give the Curve the lead in a 5-4 win at Hartford. On Saturday, Tucker broke a 1-1 tie with a go-ahead single in the sixth inning in a win over the Baysox. He Home Openings .........................................63 broke a scoreless tie in a 3-1 win on Tuesday at Richmond as the Curve clinched a postseason berth. Average Attendance ............................4,397 CLOSE CALLS: The Curve have gone 21-19 in their last 40 games, and eight of those losses have been by one run. Their last 19 losses since July 18 have been by an average of 2.2 runs (42 runs/19 games). The Curve have played 51 BROADCAST INFORMATION one-run games this year, the most in the Eastern League, and have posted a 26-25 record in those games. SEARCHING FOR HITS: The Curve are hitting .241 in the month of August, the lowest in the Eastern League and the lowest for the Curve in a single month this season. The team average for the season is currently .254, which would be the second-lowest in franchise history (Next closest is the 2008 Curve, who hit .255), trailing only the 2013 team, which hit .252. Trey Wilson, Nate Bowen and Max Gun C-N-O: Reliever Tate Scioneaux has held opposing batters to a .210 average, tied for third-best in the league among relievers. Scioneaux is ranked third in the league with 44 appearances, has the lowest BB/9 IP ratio (1.47) and has will call the action of the 2017 season on allowed the second-fewest baserunners (8.62/9 IP). He has converted each of his last eight save attempts. the flagship of the Curve, News Talk 1240, WRTA in Altoona. Pregame coverage SAVE IT: The Curve lead the Eastern League with 44 saves this season, tied for their second-highest total in a year since 2008 (They had 47 in 2010 and 44 in 2015).