2021 GAME NOTES 1000 PARK AVENUE, ALTOONA, PA 16602 814.283.3180 ALTOONACURVEBASEBALL ALTOONACURVE @ALTOONACURVE ALTOONA_CURVE EASTERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS DIVISION CHAMPIONS PLAYOFF APPEARANCES PLAYERS TO MLB 2010, 2017 2004, 2010, 2017, 2018 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 173 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 September 5, 2021 -- Game #105, Road Game #53 Akron RubberDucks (67-39) vs. Altoona Curve (52-52) RHP Thomas Ponticelli (6-4, 3.11) vs. LHP Trey McGough (4-5, 4.04) 6:05 p.m. | Canal Park | Akron, OH Radio -- WRTA 98.5 FM & Curve Radio Network | TV -- MiLB.TV THE LAST TIME OUT: Oneil Cruz picked up two hits, but the Curve were held scoreless for the third consecutive game in a 2-0 defeat against SOUTHWEST DIVISION STANDINGS the Akron RubberDucks on Saturday night at Canal Park. With the loss, Altoona has dropped seven straight games and ten of their last 12. Team W-L GB Today The Curve last plated a run in the seventh inning on Wednesday night and have been held without a run since. Akron 67-39 -- vs ALT TODAY'S GAME: The Curve look to avoid a sweep in the six-game series with the Akron RubberDucks at Canal Park. Bowie 61-44 5.5 vs SOM Erie 57-50 10.5 vs HBG IT'S BEEN AWHILE: The Curve enter play on Sunday having gone 29 innings without a run scored. The longest streak in franchise history Richmond 52-49 12.5 @ BNG (2004 - 2021) without a run is 32 innings when the 2011 Curve were shutout in three straight games 6/21-24. That stretch and this stretch stand as the only times since 2004 that Altoona has been shutout in three straight games, seven times they've been shutout twice since the Altoona 52-52 14.0 @ AKR 2004 season. Harrisburg 41-65 26.0 @ ERI NORTHEAST DIVISION STANDINGS IT'S ALSO BEEN AWHILE: With Saturday's loss, the Curve have their record at .500 for the first time since they were 3-3 after play on May 11. Team W-L GB Today IMMACULATE ODDY: Altoona reliever Oddy Nunez tossed just the second immaculate inning in franchise history on Saturday night when he Somerset 62-44 -- @ BOW set down the side in order with three consecutive strikeouts in the 7th inning of Altoona's 2-0 loss at Akron. Jeff Bennett in 2003 also tossed Portland 60-45 1.5 @ NH an immaculate inning against Harrisburg. Fellow Pirates farmhand Quinn Priester tossed one on Friday August 13 for Greensboro. New Hamp. 49-54 11.5 vs POR NO NO-HITTER'S HERE: The Curve came within one strike of being no-hit for the ninth time in franchise history on Friday night at Akron. Binghamton 46-53 12.5 vs RIC Mason Martin lined a 3-2 pitch to left field with 2 outs in the 9th inning off Nic Enright to pick up the Curve's first and only hit of the game. Reading 44-63 18.5 @ HFD Hartford 36-69 25.5 vs REA WE'RE GOING STREAKING!!!: The Curve had their second-longest on-base streak of the season come to an end on Wednesday night when Cal 2021 CURVE AT A GLANCE Mitchell went 0-for-4 ending an 18-game stretch of reaching base safely. During the streak, Mitchell batted .375/.444/.516/.960 with 6 2B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 6 BB and 8 K. Ji-Hwan Bae added to his longest on-base streak of the season, 16 games, with a bunt single on Thursday night, Overall Record ........................................52-52 he's batting .333/.464/.352, 1 2B, 7 RBI, 13 BB, with 4-6 SB during the streak. Home ...............................................25-27 Road ................................................ 27-25 HE'S BACK: The Curve welcome RHP Roansy Contreras back to the active roster on Wednesday night. Contreras last appeared on June 30 at Place (S'East Div) ....................................... 5th Hartford when he pitched one inning before a rain delay suspended the game. Contreras was selected to participate with the National League Games Ahead/Behind ............................. -14.0 team at the Sirius/XM Futures Game and is ranked as the #6 prospect in the Pirates system according to MLB.com. Contreras found his name .............................................................L7 all over the AA-NE League Rankings and among the best in MiLB at the time of his injury. He ranked 2nd in ERA (2.00), 2nd in K (64), 8th in IP Streak (45.0), 2nd in BAA (.178), 2nd/4th in MiLB in WHIP (0.84) Last 5............................................................ 0-5 Last 10 ......................................................... 2-8 PABST THE PITCHER: The Curve used a position player on the mound to get the final out of the 9th inning on Saturday in a 15-3 defeat againstAll-Time Record ............................1,555-1,510 Richmond. Arden Pabst made his first career pitching appearance and threw one pitch, at 70 mph, to induce a groundball off the bat of Vince Fernandez to end the inning. Altoona used a position player on the mound four times in the 2019 season with Jerrick Suiter appearing twice 2021 vs. Akron .......................................10-13 on the mound in late-August to lead the way. Jesse Medrano and Alfredo Reyes each appeared on the mound as well. at Altoona .......................................... 6-6 at Akron ............................................. 4-7 AUGUST IS FOR THE PITCHERS: The Curve had three of the best ERA among qualified starters in the month of August in the AA-NE League: Osvaldo Bido (2.77, 7th) and Omar Cruz (3.12, 8th). Bido also ranked third in the circuit with a .172 BAA and in WHIP with a 0.88 mark. All-time vs. Akron ..............................215-247 at Altoona ...................................125-117 A NIGHT TO REMEMBER: The Curve put a real hurting on Richmond's pitching staff on Tuesday night recording a season-high 16 runs on at Akron ........................................90-130 a season-high 20 hits. It was the most hits in a game since the Curve set their franchise record of 24 on July 21, 2015 in the first game of a ‘21 Home Attendance ........................ 190,485 doubleheader against Erie. Altoona also set season-highs in hits in an inning (6) and most players with a multi-hit game (7). Home Openings ............................................48 Average Attendance ............................... 3,968 5 FOR CAL: Cal Mitchell recorded the 16th 5-hit game in franchise history on Tuesday night against Richmond, matching the franchise record for hits in a game. Mitchell set a career-high with five hits and drove in five runs which was a season-high. THE 'DUCKS: Managed by Rouglas Odor, the 'Ducks have found themselves at the top of the Southwest Division standings for much of the CURVE LEAGUE RANKINGS second half of the season. In light of several top prospect promotions, like Will Benson, Richie Palacios and Andruw Monasterio, the 'Ducks Runs Scored ......................................8th (469) have reloaded with several members of the Indians top-30 prospects according to MLB.com: OF George Valera (#2), C Bo Naylor (#6), INF Average .............................................7th (.246) Brayan Roccio (#7), LHP Logan Allen (#10), RHP Peyton Battenfield (#17), and OF Will Brennan (#29). RISP. ..................................................6th (.256) Home Runs ........................................9th (107) FOR ALTOONA: LHP Trey McGough takes the ball for Altoona tonight...For more on McGough, see page two. Stolen Bases ....................................... 5th (80) FOR AKRON: RHP Thomas Ponticelli has made two starts and three relief appearances against Altoona this year, overall he is 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA against the Curve. Drafted by the Indians in the 12th Round in 2018 out of the University of San Francisco, Ponticelli went 3-4 with a 5.07 ERA... ...............................................10th (4.79) ERA in 24 appearances, 12 starts in 2019 with Single-A Lake County. Ponticelli hails from Newbury Park, California and majored in Business Starter ERA ......................................6th (4.54) Administration while at the University of San Francisco. He earned the Jesse Foppert Fireman of the Year Award as the team's top pitcher as Reliever ERA ..................................11th (5.11) a sophomore in 2017 Strikeouts/9 IP..............................12th (8.78) Walks/9 IP .......................................9th (3.60) BROADCAST INFORMATION Home Runs Allowed .........................5th (102) TODAY IN CURVE HISTORY ON THE ROAD TRIP 2003 - Curve play the first home playoff game in franchise history in front of 7,097 fans, still the Record .......................................................... 0-5 highest attended playoff game in franchise history, but are defeated 11-6 by Akron; John VanBen- Average ...................................... .182 (29-159) schoten blown up for six runs in first inning. Jon Mozes and Preston Shoemaker will call Runs/Runs Per Game ............................ 7/1.4 the action of the 2021 season on the flagship 2004 - Ronny Paulino reached base for 33rd straight game to break Nate McLouth’s team record of Home Runs ......................................................0 32 set earlier the month before. It was the third on-base streak of 30 games or more in 2004, the RISP. ............................................... .147 (5-34) of the Curve, Talk Radio 98.5 FM/1240 AM other two were both by McLouth. Steve Pearce tied 33-game record in 2007. WRTA in Altoona. Pregame coverage begins Errors ...............................................................3 15 min. before all games. 2011 - Starling Marte goes 1-for-3 on final day of the season to secure EL batting title with .332 average; The contest vs. Richmond is completed early due to rain with Richmond winning 2-1 on a ERA... ...............................5.85 (26 ER/40.0 IP) The Curve can also be heard on the following "walk-off" solo homer by Wes Hodges in the top of the eighth. The umpires called for the tarp be- affiliate stations for selected games: fore the next batter came up and an 89-minute delay ultimately led to calling the rest of the game.