EASTERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS DIVISION CHAMPIONS PLAYOFF APPEARANCES PLAYERS TO MLB 2010, 2017 2004, 2010, 2017 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 150 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017 BATTING AVG.: .245 (T-10th) July 4, 2018 -- Game #80, Home Game #41 BATTING AVG.: .251 (T-5th) TEAM HR: 70 (7th) TEAM HR: 56 (11th) WALKS: 284 (5th) Trenton Thunder (47-36) Altoona Curve (42-37) WALKS: 237 (11th) STRIKEOUTS: 713 (3rd) LHP Ryan Bollinger (3-3, 6.18) vs. RHP Eduardo Vera (1-2, 5.45) STRIKEOUTS: 582 (11th) TEAM ERA: 3.33 (2nd) TEAM ERA: 3.78 (5th) WALKS: 288 (5th) 7 p.m. | Peoples Natural Gas Field | Altoona, Pa. WALKS: 256 (10th) STRIKEOUTS: 743 (1st) STRIKEOUTS: 605 (11th) () -- EL Rank Radio -- WRTA 98.5 FM & Curve Radio Network | TV -- MiLB.TV () -- EL Rank UPCOMING GAMES & PITCHING PROBABLES Thurs., July 5 Trenton 7 p.m. RHP Dillon Tate (4-2, 3.48) vs. RHP Bret Helton (3-3, 3.72) Fri., July 6 Trenton 7 p.m. RHP Michael King (2-1, 1.91) vs. LHP Taylor Hearn (3-5, 3.50) Sat., July 7 Trenton 6 p.m. RHP Trevor Stephan (2-4, 4.78) vs. LHP Cam Vieaux (4-1, 1.41) Sun., July 8 Trenton 2 p.m. RHP Domingo Acevedo (2-1, 2.84) vs. RHP Pedro Vasquez (2-5, 4.98) YESTERDAY: The Curve were held to two hits in a 3-0 loss to the Akron RubberDucks at Canal Park. Akron starter Triston McKenzie took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before Ke'Bryan Hayes drove a lead-off triple for the Curve's first hit. Hayes added a ninth-inning single for Altoona's only other hit on the night. Akron scored three runs in the second inning against 2018 E.L. WESTERN STANDINGS Pedro Vasquez, his only runs allowed in his six innings. Team W-L PCT GB Today Akron 48-36 .571 -- @ RIC TONIGHT: The 20th Season of Altoona Curve Baseball, presented by Stuckey Subaru, continues as the Curve play the first Altoona 42-37 .532 3.5 vs. TRN of a five-game series against the Trenton Thunder. This series marks the first meetings of 2018 between the Curve and Thunder, a rematch of the 2017 Eastern League Championship Series, a three-game sweep by Altoona. The two teams will meet at Harrisburg 44-40 .524 4.0 @ BOW Trenton's ARM & HAMMER Park on August 7-9 and the Thunder return to Altoona for a four-game series from August 27-30 Richmond 41-41 .500 6.0 vs. AKR in the final regular-season series at PNG Field this year. Erie 39-43 .476 8.0 @ BIN Bowie 36-47 .434 11.5 vs. HAR THE CURVE: During the most recent five-game road series against the division-leading RubberDucks, the Curve lost three games and won two. Over the five games, the Curve offense combined to hit .256 (42/163) with four homers (Will Craig, Logan Hill, Tyler Gaffney and Christian Kelley) and averaged 4.2 runs per game (21 total runs). The Altoona pitching staff 2018 E.L. EASTERN STANDINGS posted a 4.15 ERA (20 ER/43.1 IP). Team W-L PCT GB Today New Hamp. 48-34 .585 -- vs. REA THE THUNDER: Trenton returns to PNG Field for the first time since September 14, 2017, when it was defeated 4-2 as Trenton 47-36 .566 1.5 @ ALT Altoona completed a three-game sweep to clinch the 2017 Eastern League title. In their most recent series, the Thunder won three of four at home against the Eastern Division-leading New Hampshire Fisher Cats. The Trenton offense, which is tied for Hartford 41-41 .500 7.0 vs. POR the second-lowest overall batting average in the league this season, hit .238 (39/164) over the last five games with six home Binghamton 40-42 .488 8.0 vs. ERI runs and scored 4.4 runs per game (22 total runs). The Trenton pitching staff has posted a 3.91 ERA (20 ER/46 IP) over the Reading 37-46 .446 11.5 vs. NH last five games. Portland 31-51 .378 17.0 @ HFD FOR ALTOONA: Right-hander Eduardo Vera makes his seventh Double-A start and first against the Thunder. Last time out, he threw five innings and allowed two earned runs in a no-decision at Akron on Friday. After going 1-0 with a 2.97 ERA 2018 CURVE AT A GLANCE through his first three starts at Double-A, he has gone 0-2 with a 9.88 ERA (15 ER/13.2 IP) in his last three starts since June Overall Record .......................................42-37 17. He has gone at least seven innings in seven of his last 12 starts. He made nine starts for A-Adv. Bradenton this year, going Home ...............................................23-17 3-2 with a 2.95 ERA. At the time of his promotion to Double-A, Vera led the Florida State League with 58.0 innings pitched Road ................................................19-20 and ranked fifth with a 1.00 WHIP, and he earned Florida State League Mid-Season All-Star honors. Vera was signed by the Pirates as an international free agent on March 5, 2012. For more on Vera, see page two. Place (E.L. Western) ..................................2nd FOR TRENTON: Left-hander Ryan Bollinger makes his ninth start of the season for the Thunder and first against the Curve. Games Ahead/Behind ........................... -3.5 He last pitched on Thursday at Binghamton and allowed three runs over six innings in a no-decision. Over four June starts for the Thunder, Bollinger went 0-3 with a 12.54 ERA after going 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA in four May starts. He was origi- Streak ...............................................................L1 nally drafted as a first baseman by the Phillies in the 47th round in 2009 and played in the GCL before being released. He switched to pitching with the independent Windy City Thunderbolts in 2010 and was signed by the White Sox for the 2011 Last 5 ............................................................. 2-3 season, pitching in their minor league system for three years before being released in March 2014. After four seasons away Last 10 ........................................................... 6-4 from affiliated baseball, Bollinger signed with the Yankees in December 2017. 2018 vs. Trenton ......................................... 0-0 HOME COOKIN': Over their last 18 home games since May 19, the Curve have gone 13-5 and have allowed more than three runs in a game just four times. The pitching staff has combined to post a 2.49 ERA (44 ER/159.0 IP) over the last 18 at Altoona .......................................... 0-0 games at PNG Field. The Altoona offense has combined to hit .272 (154/566) over the last 18 games at home. at Trenton ........................................... 0-0 All-time vs. Trenton .............................. 84-88 TWO-A-DAY HAYES: Ke'Bryan Hayes has collected two hits in six of his last seven games, combining for a .375 average at Altoona ......................................52-37 (12/32) and four runs scored. That stretch has raised his batting average from .270 to .282. Over his last 21 games since at Trenton .......................................32-51 May 31, Hayes is batting .341 (29/85) with eight doubles, four triples, a homer and five RBIs. REYNOLDS ON A RUN: OutfielderBryan Reynolds has at least one hit in 17 of his last 20 games since June 8, batting ‘18 Home Attendance ..................... 152,836 .306 (22/72) with six doubles, one homer (a grand slam) and 13 RBIs in that stretch. He has picked up at least one RBI in Home Openings ..........................................38 seven of his last 13 games since June 20. Reynolds missed seven weeks with a left wrist injury and was activated from the Average Attendance ............................4,022 disabled list on May 29. THE SUMMER OF GEORGE: Over his last 18 games since June 13, Jordan George is batting .321 (17/53) with one homer, 10 RBIs and nine walks, raising his season batting average from .277 to .291. He has at least one hit in 13 of his last BROADCAST INFORMATION 18 games. Prior to that span, George went hitless over his previous seven games (0-for-5, 2 BB) and did not make a start. WILL POWER: 2016 first-round draft pickWill Craig continues to pace the Pirates organization in RBIs, totaling 58 on the season. He is on pace to drive in 102 runs this season, which would rank second in franchise history behind Adam Hyzdu's 106 RBIs in 2000. The next closest is Jose Bautista with 90 in 2005. His 58 RBIs this season rank second in the Eastern League behind New Hampshire's Cavan Biggio with 64. Craig has driven in one run in five of his last seven games (six total RBIs). He is also tied with Logan Hill for first in the Pirates organization with 12 homers. On Tuesday, it was announced that Craig will participate in the Eastern League Home Run Derby on July 10 at Trenton. Trey Wilson, Nate Bowen and Garett Mansfield will call the action of the 2018 season on TWO-FOR-TUCKER: Shortstop Cole Tucker has picked up two hits in seven of his last 11 games since June 24. In that span, the flagship of the Curve, Talk Radio 98.5 he is batting .333 (15/45) with two doubles, six runs scored and two RBIs. Since Tucker's season average dropped to .195 on May 19, Tucker has hit .293 (49/167) over 40 games, raising his average to .250. FM/1240 AM WRTA in Altoona.