EASTERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS DIVISION CHAMPIONS PLAYOFF APPEARANCES PLAYERS TO MLB 2010, 2017 2004, 2010, 2017, 2018 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 169 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 June 25, 2019 -- Game #74, Second Half Game #7, Road Game #39 Altoona Curve (39-34, 4-2) vs. Richmond Flying Squirrels (27-47, 4-3) RHP Cody Bolton (AA Debut) vs. RHP Brandon Beachy (2-3, 3.98) 6:35 p.m. | The Diamond | Richmond, Va. Radio -- WRTA 98.5 FM & Curve Radio Network | TV -- MiLB.TV UPCOMING GAMES & PITCHING PROBABLES Thurs., June 27 Binghamton 6:30 p.m. TBD vs. LHP Domingo Robles (1-1, 4.05) Fri., June 28 Binghamton 7 p.m. TBD vs. RHP Pedro Vasquez (6-1, 2.24) Sat., June 29 Binghamton 4:30 p.m. TBD vs. LHP Brandon Waddell (0-0, 3.38) Sat., June 29 Binghamton Game 2 TBD vs. LHP Sean Brady (3-7, 5.09) THE LAST TIME OUT: In a pitching matchup that featured a pair of Eastern League All-Stars saw Curve starter 2019 E.L. WESTERN STANDINGS James Marvel out-match Richmond's Caleb Baragar and the Flying Squirrels in a 5-1 victory on Tuesday at The Diamond. Marvel pitched at least seven innings for the fifth time and struck out eight, the fifth time he fanned seven Team 2nd Half Overall GB Today or more, for his eighth win of the season to move into a tie for the league lead. His lone run scored on a Gio Brusa Erie 5-1 36-36 -- @ BNG solo homer in the second inning. The Curve offense struck for four runs in the fifth inning on a bases-loaded, two- Bowie 5-2 35-40 0.5 vs. HFD run double into the left field corner byRobbie Glendinning followed by a two-run single by Bligh Madris. Brett Pope Altoona 4-2 39-34 1.0 @ RIC reached on an infield single in the eighth and moved up on a wild pitch, groundout and scored on a second wild pitch by Richmond's All-Star reliever Melvin Adon. Richmond 4-3 27-47 1.5 vs. ALT x-Harrisburg 2-4 44-32 3.0 vs. AKR TODAY'S GAME: The 21st season of Altoona Curve Baseball continues as the Curve go for the sweep against the Akron 3-5 37-40 3.0 @ HBG Flying Squirrels, Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. The Curve have swept two previous series this season, both on the road with a four-game sweep in Akron to begin the year and a three-game sweep at Erie to get 2019 E.L. EASTERN STANDINGS their hot month of June rolling. Today is the final game in The Commonwealth for the Curve, who are 7-2 at The Diamond this season. Altoona has been victorious in all three series against the Flying Squirrels to date, outscor- Team 2nd Half Overall GB Today ing Richmond 64-43. The two clubs meet two more times at PNG Field to complete the 21-game season series. The x-Trenton 4-3 42-30 -- vs. REA Curve are playing the 11th of 16 straight National League-style games through the end of June before using a desig- Reading 4-4 43-32 0.5 @ TRN nated hitter against American League-affiliated squads for all but four games in July when they meet Richmond at Binghamton 3-4 38-34 1.0 vs. ERI PNG Field from July 25-27. Hartford 3-4 40-34 1.0 @ BOW THE CURVE: The Curve are 16-6 in June, tied with Bowie for the best record in the Eastern League this month, and Portland 2-3 29-43 1.0 vs. NHM have won 6 of their last 7 series. With six games remaining this month, the club is poised to win the most June New Hamp. 1-5 32-41 2.5 @ POR games since a franchise-record 20 victories in June 2004. The Curve have piled up 20 wins in a month just three times in club history: August 2018, August 2010 and June 2004. Altoona is second in the league in hitting (.252) 2019 CURVE AT A GLANCE this month and have gone deep 16 times after a league-low 30 home runs in April and May. Altoona's 31-20 record Overall Record ........................................39-34 against the Western Division is the best intra-division mark among the clubs in their half of the league. The Curve ........................................35-32 have reached the E.L. Playoffs in each of the last four seasons, the longest active streak in the league and tied for First Half the longest run in franchise history (2003-06). Second Half ........................................ 4-2 Home ...............................................18-17 THE FLYING SQUIRRELS: Richmond finished last in the Western Division during the first half with a 23-44 ledger but Road ................................................21-17 went on a season-long four-game winning streak before losing the first two against the Curve. Coming off a sweep Place (E.L. Western) ..................................3rd in Binghamton, the Flying Squirrels have just 10 home victories in 37 tries, the lowest home winning percentage Games Ahead/Behind ............................... -1.0 among full-season teams in the Minors. Offensively, the Squirrels rank last in team batting average (.220), runs per Streak ........................................................... W3 game (3.4) and average with runners in scoring position (.205) but pick up walks at the fourth-highest pace and lead ............................................................ 3-2 the circuit in stolen bases. From a pitching perspective, Richmond's pitching staff ranks tied for 10th in overall ERA Last 5 (3.76) with the worst bullpen ERA (3.94) in the league while their rotation stands fourth-best (3.67). Last 10 ......................................................... 7-3 FOR ALTOONA: 21-year-old right-hander Cody Bolton has been promoted from A-Adv. Bradenton to make his 2019 vs. Richmond .................................... 9-3 Double-A debut in Richmond. A Florida State League All-Star with the Marauders, the Northern California native at Altoona .......................................... 2-1 brings the best ERA (1.61) and batting average against (.174) in the Pirates minor league system and Florida State at Richmond ...................................... 7-2 League while he also led the FSL with six wins and a 0.86 WHIP prior to his first call to Double-A. Bolton last worked All-time vs. Richmond .........................107-84 on June 20 with four hitless innings and five strikeouts. Pittsburgh drafted Bolton out of Tracy (Calif.) High School in .......................................63-36 the sixth round of the 2017 draft and is ranked by Baseball America as the Pirates' No. 21 prospect while MLB.com at Altoona ranks the righty at No. 23 in the system...For more on Bolton, see page two. at Richmond ...................................44-48 FOR RICHMOND: Right-hander Brandon Beachy is set to make his eighth outing of the season. He missed nearly six ‘19 Home Attendance ........................ 134,725 weeks due to an injury but has taken every turn in the rotation in June with 25 strikeouts in 22.2 innings over five Home Openings ............................................33 appearances, including four starts. He compiled his first quality start of the season in his last start in Binghamton Average Attendance ............................... 4,083 by holding the Rumble Ponies to on run on two hits over six innings. 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 ON THE ROAD TRIP 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...............................................................5 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 Record .......................................................... 3-2 free agent in the offseason and was originally signed by Atlanta as an undrafted free agent in 2008. Average ..................................... .292 (50/171) BRAKE MEN: Curve pitchers entered play May 16 with a 4.22 ERA, which ranked last in the league. Over the last 34 Runs/Runs Per Game .......................... 25/5.0 games, the pitching staff has lowered it to 3.66 thanks to a 2.97 ERA (100 ER/302.2 IP), the second-lowest mark in Home Runs ......................................................4 the league over that period. In June, Altoona pitchers have the lowest ERA (2.58) in the league after carrying the RISP. ............................................ .264 (14/53) highest in the E.L. during May (5.00). Additionally, the bullpen owns a 2.14 ERA (14 ER/59 IP) over the last 19 games that included an eight-game stretch of 22 consecutive scoreless innings from June 12-June 21. Errors ...............................................................2 OLIVA COMING ALIVE: Jared Oliva has been on base in 19 of his last 20 games while batting .311 (23/74) with six ERA... ...............................3.55 (15 ER/38.0 IP) multi-hit games, seven doubles, two homers, seven steals, 14 runs and 10 walks since June 3. The Pirates' seventh- Starter W-L ................................................. 2-0 round choice in 2017 out of Arizona was hitting a season-low .193 before he started his recent upswing to .234. In Starter ERA ......................2.89 (9 ER/28.0 IP) his last 10 games, he is hitting .378 (14/37) with six doubles, six steals and six walks. Oliva's 15 steals overall are Reliever W-L ............................................... 1-2 third-most in the E.L. and ranks tied for second in the Pirates system.