EASTERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS DIVISION CHAMPIONS PLAYOFF APPEARANCES PLAYERS TO MLB 2010 2004, 2010, 2017 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 144 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017 BATTING AVG.: .255 (8th) September 6, 2017 -- ELDS Game One BATTING AVG.: .283 (1st) TEAM HR: 99 (9th) TEAM HR: 143 (4th) WALKS: 454 (6th) Altoona Curve (74-66) vs. Bowie Baysox (72-68) WALKS: 429 (9th) STRIKEOUTS: 931 (11th) RHP Mitch Keller (2-2, 3.12) vs. RHP David Hess (11-9, 3.85) STRIKEOUTS: 940 (9th) TEAM ERA: 3.67 (3rd) TEAM ERA: 4.10 (6th) WALKS: 464 (6th) 7:05 p.m. | Prince George's Stadium | Bowie, Md. WALKS: 491 (4th) STRIKEOUTS: 1,046 (12th) STRIKEOUTS: 1,097 (T-2nd) () -- EL Rank Radio -- News Talk 1240 WRTA & Curve Radio Network | TV -- MiLB.TV () -- EL Rank UPCOMING GAMES & PITCHING PROBABLES Thurs., Sept. 7 at Bowie 7:05 p.m. RHP Alex McRae (10-5, 3.61) vs. LHP Tanner Scott (0-2, 2.22) Fri., Sept. 8 Bowie 6 p.m. RHP Lucas Long (9-6, 2.95) vs. RHP Austin Coley (6-4, 3.01) Sat., Sept. 9 Bowie 6 p.m. LHP Brandon Waddell (3-3, 3.55) vs. TBD Sun., Sept. 10 Bowie 1 p.m. RHP J.T. Brubaker (7-6, 4.44) vs. TBD 2017 E.L. WESTERN STANDINGS THE CURVE: Altoona finished the season eight games over .500 and won the Western Division by two games over the Baysox. The title marked the franchise's third regular-season division championship in franchise history, winning Team W-L PCT GB Today the South Division in 2004 and the Western Division in 2010. This year, the Curve led the West for 96 of 140 games Altoona 74-66 .529 -- @ BOW and took over solo possession of the top spot for good on August 22. The Curve won 10 of their final 16 games, Bowie 72-68 .514 2.0 v. ALT including a season-best five-game winning streak from August 20-24. Altoona clinched the Western Division regular- season title with a walk-off win over Harrisburg on Monday and a loss by Bowie at Richmond that afternoon. Akron 69-71 .493 5.0 -- Erie 65-75 .464 9.0 -- THE BAYSOX: Bowie, the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, finished the season four games over .500 after Richmond 63-77 .450 11.0 -- going 6-9 over their last 15 games. The Baysox are back in the postseason for the first time since 2015 when they Harrisburg 60-80 .429 14.0 -- defeated the Curve, three-games-to-one, in the Western Division Series and went on to beat Reading in five games to claim their first Eastern League title in team history. The Baysox also went to Eastern League playoffs in 1993, 1994, E.L. WESTERN DIVISION SERIES 1997, 2008 (division champs, lost in division series), 2012 and 2015 (E.L. Champs). The Baysox led the Eastern League Date Time/Result Series with a .283 team average and 697 runs scored this year. 9/6 ALT @ BOW 7:05 p.m. TONIGHT: The Curve face the Baysox in Game One of the Western Division Series. The best-of-five series begins 9/7 ALT @ BOW 7:05 p.m. with two road games for the Curve, with the final three games being scheduled to be played back at PNG Field. 9/8 BOW @ ALT 6 p.m. FOR ALTOONA: Right-hander Mitch Keller takes the mound in game one. He last pitched on Friday at PNG Field 9/9 BOW @ ALT 6 p.m. against Harrisburg, picked up a win after working six scoreless innings and allowing three hits with one walk and a 9/10 BOW @ ALT 1 p.m. career-high 11 strikeouts. Keller faced the Baysox once, picking up a loss after surrendering a Double-A-high four earned runs over 5.2 innings with four hits, one walk and seven strikeouts on August 27 in his next-to-last start of 2017 E.L. EASTERN STANDINGS the year. He was promoted to Double-A on August 4 after going 6-3 with a 3.14 ERA over 15 starts with A-Adv. Team W-L PCT GB Today Bradenton, where he was picked as a Florida State League All-Star. Between Altoona and Bradenton, Keller posted a 3.03 ERA this season in 23 starts, seventh-best in the Pirates' system, and he ranked fourth in the system with 116 Trenton 92-48 .657 -- @ BIN strikeouts. Keller has made two postseason starts in his career, both coming last season with Bradenton. He pitched Binghamton 85-54 .612 6.5 v. TRN Game 1 of the Marauders' first-round series against St. Lucie, picking up a win after allowing three runs in 5.1 innings, Reading 72-68 .514 20.0 -- all coming across in the fifth, and added eight strikeouts. He also started Game 3 of the championship series against Tampa, working eight scoreless innings and allowing four hits in a win. Overall, he is 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA (3 ER/13.1 Portland 65-74 .468 26.5 -- IP) in playoff starts. Last season, Keller went 9-5 with a 2.35 ERA over 24 total starts and was named as MiLB.com's Hartford 62-77 .446 29.5 -- fans' choice Top Breakout Prospect of the Year and the South Atlantic League's Most Outstanding Pitcher.For more on New Hamp. 59-80 .424 32.5 -- Keller, see page two. E.L. EASTERN DIVISION SERIES FOR BOWIE: Right-hander David Hess starts game one for the Baysox. He made 26 starts and one relief appearance Date Time/Result Series for the Baysox this season. He made four starts against the Curve this year, going 2-1 with a 2.13 ERA (6 ER/25.1 IP). 9/6 TRN @ BIN 6:35 p.m. Hess is in his third year with the Baysox, joining the team late in 2015. He pitched for Bowie in the 2015 postseason, making a start in Bowie's game-four clincher against the Curve in the Division Series with seven scoreless, one-hit in- 9/7 TRN @ BIN 6:35 p.m. nings. He also picked up a win in game four of the 2015 Championship Series with Bowie facing elimination, working 9/8 BIN @ TRN 7 p.m. seven innings and allowing one run on three hits with eight strikeouts. Over his last six starts this season, Hess went 9/9 BIN @ TRN 7 p.m. 3-2 with a 2.25 ERA (10 ER/40 IP). 9/10 BIN @ TRN 5 p.m. BACK TO THE PLAYOFFS: The Curve solidified a playoff berth for the third straight season with a 3-1 win last Tuesday at Richmond. The Curve are the only team to reach the Eastern League postseason in each of the last three 2017 CURVE AT A GLANCE seasons. This year marks the second time in franchise history the Curve have reached the playoffs in three straight Overall Record ..................................... 74-66 seasons (They went to the playoffs in four consecutive years from 2003-2006). The Curve have won their division Home ............................................ 40-30 two other times: 2004 and 2010. In both of those seasons, they advanced to the Eastern League Championship se- ries, losing in the finals to New Hampshire in 2004 and winning their only E.L. title to date in 2010 over Trenton. The Road ............................................. 34-36 win on Tuesday also locked up the Curve's 12th winning season in their first 19 years. This year's Curve team posted Place (E.L. Western) .................................1st the sixth-best record in team history (.529 winning percentage). Games Ahead/Behind ...........................+2.0 BATTLING BOWIE: The Curve lost four sets against the Baysox and split one during the regular season this year. Streak..........................................................W2 They dropped two of three games in Bowie from June 2-4, were swept in four games from June 26-29 at Bowie, lost Last 5 .......................................................... 2-3 three of four at home from July 13-16, lost three of four in Bowie from July 20-23, and split four games at PNG Field Last 10 ........................................................ 5-5 from August 24-27. The Curve have surrendered a lead in the seventh inning or later seven times against the Baysox this season. When the two teams matched up in the playoffs in 2015, the Curve recovered from a 7-0 second-inning deficit to beat the Baysox, 8-7, in game one of the Division Series before being outscored 21-3 over the final three 2017 vs. Bowie .......................................5-14 games of the series. The Curve went 5-14 against the Baysox this year, but posted a 69-52 record against the rest of at Altoona ....................................... 3-5 the league. The Baysox went 58-63 against their other ten E.L. opponents. at Bowie .......................................... 2-9 PITCH PERFECT: Over the last 15 games since August 20, Curve starting pitchers have combined to go 7-3 with a All-time vs. Bowie ..........................156-157 2.34 ERA (25 ER/96.1 IP). In that stretch, J.T. Brubaker is 0-1 with a 4.09 ERA (10 ER/22 IP) in three starts, Brandon at Altoona ................................... 78-79 Waddell is 1-0 with a 1.45 ERA (3 ER/18.2 IP) in three starts, Mitch Keller is 2-1 with a 3.24 ERA (6 ER/16.2 IP) at Bowie ...................................... 78-78 in two starts, Casey Sadler is 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA (1 ER/9.0 IP) in one start, Alex McRae is 1-0 with a 2.81 ERA (5 ER/16 IP) in three starts and Austin Coley is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two starts (0 ER/14 IP).