EASTERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS DIVISION CHAMPIONS PLAYOFF APPEARANCES PLAYERS TO MLB 2010, 2017 2004, 2010, 2017, 2018 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 160 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 April 20, 2019 -- Games #15/16, Road Games #9/10 Altoona Curve (6-8) vs. Richmond Flying Squirrels (7-5) RHP James Marvel (1-1, 2.87) vs. LHP Garrett Williams (0-0, 3.00) RHP Pedro Vasquez (1-0, 2.45) vs. RHP Brandon Beachy (1-1, 3.00) 5:05 p.m. | The Diamond | Richmond, Va. Radio -- WRTA 98.5 FM & Curve Radio Network | TV -- MiLB.TV UPCOMING GAMES & PITCHING PROBABLES Sun., April 21 OFF DAY Mon., April 22 at Harrisburg 6:30 p.m. RHP Dario Agrazal (1-1, 5.00) vs. TBD Tues., April 23 at Harrisburg 6:30 p.m. LHP Cam Vieaux (0-1, 1.08) vs. TBD Wed., April 24 at Harrisburg Noon RHP Scooter Hightower (0-2, 5.04) vs. TBD THURSDAY: The Curve lost their sixth game in a row with an 8-4 defeat in Richmond on Thursday. The Curve 2019 E.L. WESTERN STANDINGS jumped out front in the first inning before Richmond claimed the lead in the second. Shortly after the Curve tied the game, 2-2, in the third, Richmond starter Conner Menez picked off Logan Hill at first and Bligh Madris was doubled Team W-L PCT GB Today off between second and third base. Richmond hit three homers in the victory while Menez struck out eight on the Harrisburg 13-2 .867 -- vs. REA mound for the Flying Squirrels. Arden Pabst collected two extra-base hits late in the game to tighten the score Erie 7-4 .636 4.0 vs. BIN while Hill and Stephen Alemais also added two hits each with RBIs. Richmond 7-5 .583 4.5 vs. ALT TONIGHT: The 21st season of Altoona Curve Baseball continues as the Curve play the second and third games of a Altoona 6-8 .429 6.5 @ RIC three-game series with the Richmond Flying Squirrels, the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Akron 5-9 .357 7.5 vs. BOW THE CURVE: After a franchise record-matching 5-0 start to the season, the Curve have lost six in a row and eight Bowie 3-11 .214 9.5 @ AKR of their last nine. Over the last six games, the club has been outscored 33-14. Altoona's last six-game losing streak was during the 2017 championship season from May 21-26 and the club's longest losing slide under manager Mi- 2019 E.L. EASTERN STANDINGS chael Ryan is seven games during the same season from June 26-July 2. Entering 2019, the Curve own the Eastern League's longest active streak for reaching the postseason as the only club to qualify for the playoffs in each of the Team W-L PCT GB Today last four seasons. Four consecutive playoff appearances is also tied for the longest streak in franchise history when Trenton 10-4 .714 -- @ POR the Curve made the playoffs during the 2003-06 seasons. Over that four-year period, the Curve have the best record Binghamton 5-4 .556 2.5 @ ERI (302-258) among Western Division teams while the only teams in the league with better records are Trenton (329- 235) and Reading (305-254). Reading 6-6 .500 3.0 @ HBG New Hamp. 7-8 .467 3.5 vs. HFD THE FLYING SQUIRRELS: Richmond jumped out to a 3-0 start to the season and have lost five of eight before taking Hartford 7-9 .438 4.0 @ NHM the series opener on Thursday. The Squirrels pitching staff ranks second in the Eastern League with a 2.88 ERA while the offense ranks 10th in the league in runs scored (41), 11th in batting average with runners in scoring Portland 3-9 .250 6.0 vs. TRN position (.208) and jumped from 10th to tied for fifth in homers (9) after three on Thursday. Willie Harris is in his second season as the Flying Squirrels manager and is one of four returing managers in the Eastern League, joining 2019 CURVE AT A GLANCE Altoona's Michael Ryan, Matt LeCroy in Harrisburg and Hartford manager Warren Schaeffer. Richmond's roster is loaded with seven of the Top 30 Giants prospects, according to MLB.com: right-handed pitcher Logan Webb (No. 5), Overall Record ............................................ 6-8 outfielder Chris Shaw (No. 11), outfielder Heath Quinn (No. 13), right-handed pitcher Melvin Adon (No. 15), left-hand- Home ................................................... 1-5 ed pitcher Garrett Williams (No. 20), infieler Ryan Howard (No. 27) and infielder Jalen Miller (No. 28). Additionally, Road .................................................... 5-3 former Curve catcher and 2017 Eastern League Championship Series hero Jin-De Jhang is with the Flying Squirrels. Place (E.L. Western) .................................. 4th FOR ALTOONA: Right-hander James Marvel makes the his fourth start of the season in game one and his first of Games Ahead/Behind ............................... -6.5 the year against Richmond. In his previous start, Marvel was limited to four innings and threw 82 pitches while he .............................................................L6 held Harrisburg to one run on four hits and struck out six hitters. Marvel faced Richmond once in 2018 and earned Streak a win after his fourth consecutive quality start to begin his Double-A tenure on August 25. That game was the first Last 5............................................................ 0-5 of a double-header at PNG Field in Altoona and the righty held the Flying Squirrels to two runs in a complete-game Last 10 ......................................................... 2-8 effort. Born in San Francisco, Marvel was drafted by the Pirates in the 36th round in 2015 out of Duke University. For more on Marvel, see page two. 2019 vs. Richmond .................................... 0-1 Right-handed pitcher Pedro Vasquez will make his fourth outing of the season and his third start of the campaign at Altoona .......................................... 0-0 in the second game. In his last start, Vasquez departed after five innings in the second game of a double-header on Saturday with a 6-2 lead but Akron plated eight runs against the Curve bullpen in the sixth to toss out the winning at Richmond ...................................... 0-1 bid for Vasquez. Friday's start against Richmond will be the first against Richmond in Vasquez's Double-A career. All-time vs. Richmond ...........................98-82 The right-hander from Santo Domingo was originally signed by the Mariners as an international free agent and was at Altoona .......................................61-35 traded to the Pirates organization in September 2016....For more on Vasquez, see page three. at Richmond ................................... 37-47 FOR RICHMOND: Left-hander Garrett Williams receives the starting nod for Richmond in game one for his third start of the season. In his most recent start, Williams allowed three runs over five innings with a season-high six strikeouts on Sunday at Reading and received a no-decision during a 7-3 Flying Squirrels victory. Williams is in ‘19 Home Attendance ...........................17,779 his second season with Richmond and went 3-9 with a 6.06 ERA in 33 outings, including 15 starts, during the 2018 Home Openings ..............................................5 season. Friday's nod will be Williams' fourth start against the Curve in his Double-A career. In two starts at PNG Average Attendance ............................... 3,556 Field in 2018, Williams did not pitch through the third inning while his one start at The Diamond against the Curve was a six-inning, two-run effort in a no-decision. The southpaw was the Giants' seventh-round pick in 2016 out of Oklahoma State and is regarded as San Francisco's No. 20 prospect by MLB.com. Right-hander Brandon Beachy is set to make his third start of the season for the Flying Squirrels in game two. In his previous start, Beachy tossed five one-hit, scoreless frames and earned his first win of the year. The righty pitched parts of five years in the big leagues with the Atlanta Braves (2010-13) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2015) with a 14-12 record and 3.36 ERA in 48 MLB starts. He debuted with the Braves on September 20, 2010 and was limited to 25 outings from 2014-17. Last season, he began his comeback with the New Britain Bees of the independent Atlantic League and pitched in 12 games, going 0-1 with a 3.55 ERA in 12.2 innings. The 32-year-old Beachy signed with the Giants as a minor league free agent in the offseason and was originally signed by Atlanta as an undrafted free agent in 2008. CURVE COMMAND: Altoona's pitching staff has leaned on pinpoint command over the first two weeks of the season. With 31 walks among the group, Curve pitchers have issued the fewest free passes in all of Minor League Baseball. BROADCAST INFORMATION The starting rotation has limited their walks to 10 on the campaign, which is tied with Erie (57 IP) and Single-A Hickory's (64.1 IP) rotations for the lowest total in the game through 73.2 innings. SITUATIONAL SLUMP: As a team with runners in scoring position, the Curve hit .321 in the clutch over the first seven games of the season before stumbling to a .173 (9-for-52) mark over their previous seven games. Altoona's offense has bounced into a league-high 12 double plays and has struck out at the third-highest rate among teams in the league. The Curve offense has tallied double-digit strikeouts in seven of their last 10 games and nine times over the first 14 games of the year.