EASTERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS DIVISION CHAMPIONS PLAYOFF APPEARANCES PLAYERS TO MLB 2010, 2017 2004, 2010, 2017, 2018 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 159 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 April 4, 2019 -- Game #1, Road Game #1 Altoona Curve (0-0) vs. Akron RubberDucks (0-0) RHP James Marvel (2018: 3-1, 3.00) vs. LHP Sam Hentges (AA Debut) 6:35 p.m. | Canal Park | Akron, Ohio Radio -- WRTA 98.5 FM & Curve Radio Network | TV -- MiLB.TV UPCOMING GAMES & PITCHING PROBABLES Fri., April 5 at Akron 6:35 p.m. RHP Dario Agrazal (2018: 5-6, 3.99) vs. RHP Jake Paulson (2018: 8-5, 3.04) Sat., April 6 at Akron 2:05 p.m. RHP Eduardo Vera (2018: 8-3, 3.62) vs. LHP Sean Brady (2018: 7-7, 4.53) Sun., April 7 at Akron 2:05 p.m. LHP Cam Vieaux (2018: 9-5, 3.59) vs. RHP Zach Plesac (2018: 3-1, 2.45) Mon., April 8 at Erie 6:05 p.m. TBD vs. LHP Logan Shore (2018: 1-6, 5.50) TONIGHT: The 21st season of Altoona Curve Baseball begins at Canal Park in Akron, Ohio as the Curve begin their 2018 E.L. WESTERN STANDINGS defense of back-to-back Western Division championships against the Akron RubberDucks, the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. Team W-L PCT GB Today Altoona 78-60 .565 -- @ AKR LAST SEASON: The Curve finished 78-60 in the regular season with a league-best .565 winning percentage and won Akron 78-62 .557 1.0 vs. ALT the Western Division by one game over Akron. The 2018 division crown was the fourth division title and the first back-to-back championships in club history. The Curve and RubberDucks squared off in the Western Divison Series, Harrisburg 72-65 .526 5.5 vs. BOW with Akron claiming three-of-four to move on to the Eastern League Championship Series. In Game 1, a three-run Bowie 67-71 .486 11.0 @ HBG third for Akron wiped out an early 1-0 Curve lead as the 'Ducks went on to win, 5-2. Game 2 was a pitchers duel Erie 63-77 .450 16.0 -- that saw Curve starter Eduardo Vera toss eight innings of one-run ball against Akron starter Jake Paulson's seven one-run frames. Nellie Rodriguez clubbed a solo, walk-off homer to send the series to Altoona with Akron up, 2-0, in Richmond 62-76 .449 16.0 vs. HFD the series after a 2-1 win in the 10th inning. Akron jumped out to a 5-0 lead against James Marvel in Game 3 but the Curve stormed back with the help of a game-tying grand slam by Cole Tucker in the fifth inning. Logan Hill knocked 2018 E.L. EASTERN STANDINGS in the go-ahead run during the eighth as the Curve held off elimination with an 8-5 victory. The RubberDucks ended the series the next day with a lopsided 9-0 win in Game 4. Team W-L PCT GB Today Trenton 79-61 .564 -- -- OPENING NIGHT NOTES: Over the franchise's first 20 seasons, the Curve have gone 9-11 on Opening Day. Altoona New Hamp. 76-62 .551 2.0 vs. BIN seeks a third straight win on Opening Day after knocking off the RubberDucks last season, 6-5, and the Harrisburg Senators, 5-3, on April 7, 2017 at FNB Field. The last two Opening Day wins are the first back-to-back wins in the Hartford 65-72 .474 12.5 @ RIC season opener in team history. Last season, the Curve rallied for six runs in the bottom of the eighth and held off Reading 64-73 .467 13.5 @ POR a late Akron comeback in the ninth. After Stephen Alemais tied the game, 3-3, on his first Double-A hit, Logan Hill Binghamton 64-76 .457 15.0 @ NHM unloaded a three-run, go-ahead homer. When opening the season on the road, the club is 2-8 overall but have won their last two road season openers. For more on Opening Day, see page 104-105 of the Curve Media Guide. Portland 63-76 .453 15.5 vs. REA STARTING WITH AKRON: The Curve open the season with Akron for the third time in franchise history and the 2019 CURVE AT A GLANCE second consecutive season in a rematch of the 2018 Western Divison Series. Last year, the Curve and RubberDucks met at Peoples Natural Gas Field, the first time Akron has opened a season in Altoona. The other head-to-head con- Overall Record ............................................ 0-0 test on Opening Day for the two squads was at Canal Park on April 9, 2007 with the then-Aeros winning, 5-4. Home ................................................... 0-0 Road .................................................... 0-0 DOING THE SPLITS: For the first time since the Curve joined the Eastern League in 1999, the Eastern League will play a split-season format beginning in 2019. Playoff berths will be awarded to the division champs in each half and Place (E.L. Western) ..................................... -- will set the stage for the first round of the postseason. The last time the Eastern League played a split season was Games Ahead/Behind ................................... -- in 1982, which was the end of a five-year run from 1978-82. The league also implemented a split-season format dur- .............................................................. -- ing the 1934-35, 1958 and 1975 seasons. Streak Last 5............................................................ 0-0 THE CURVE: Entering 2019, the Curve own the longest active streak for reaching the Eastern League postseason as Last 10 ......................................................... 0-0 the only club to make the playoffs in each of the last four seasons. During that span, the Curve own the best record in the Western Division (302-258) while only the only teams in the league with better records are Trenton (329-235) and Reading (305-254). Four consecutive playoff appearances is also tied for the longest streak in franchise history 2019 vs. Akron ........................................... 0-0 (2003-06). at Altoona .......................................... 0-0 THE RUBBERDUCKS: Akron returned to the playoffs in 2018 and reachd the Eastern League Championship Series at Akron ............................................. 0-0 for the second time in the seasons after defeating the Curve, 3-1, in their best-of-five series last September. The All-time vs. Akron ..............................191-230 RubberDucks were swept in three games by the New Hampshire Fisher Cats during the Eastern League Champion- ...................................111-108 ship Series. Akron carries four of the Indians Top 30 prospects on their Opening Day roster including left-handed at Altoona pitcher and Opening Day starter Sam Hentges (No. 10). Shortstop Ernie Clement (No. 15) and right-handed pitcher at Akron ........................................80-122 James Karinchak (No. 30) return to the team. Outfielder Daniel Johnson (No. 22) joined Cleveland's organization in an off-season trade from the Nationals after he spent the season with Harrisburg. Akron returns three 2018 Eastern League All-Stars in outfielders Andrew Calica and Connor Marabell along with right-handed pitcher Jake Paulson. ‘18 Home Attendance ........................ 297,118 Home Openings ............................................65 FOR ALTOONA: Right-hander James Marvel makes the second Opening Day start of his career. He last pitched a Average Attendance ............................... 4,571 season-opener for the Single-A West Virginia Power in 2017 and had a no-decision despite five scoreless innings. Marvel reached Double-A in early August and won three of his five starts with Altoona. Born in San Francisco, Mar- vel was drafted by the Pirates in the sixth round in 2015 out of Duke University. For more on Marvel, see page two. FOR AKRON: Left-hander Sam Hentges is set for his Double-A debut and second straight Opening Day start when he faces the Curve on Thursday. Hentges tossed four scoreless innings in the start for A-Adv. Lynchburg's season- opening win last year. A fourth-round pick by the Indians out of Mounds View High School in Arden Hills, Minn. in 2014, Hentges ranks as Cleveland's 10th-best prospect by MLB.com entering the 2018 season. He went 6-6 with a 3.27 ERA in 23 starts for the Hillcats in 2018 and led the Carolina League in strikeouts/9 IP (9.3). His ERA finished second among pitchers in the league. DEJA VU: Of eight probable pitchers in the series, seven of the starting pitchers scheduled to pitch in the season- opening series took the hill in the 2018 Western Divison Series. Cam Vieaux started Game 1 for the Curve against Kyle Dowdy, Eduardo Vera and Jake Paulson matched up in Game 2, Game 3 pitted James Marvel against Zach Plesac and Dario Agrazal started opposite Sean Brady in Game 4. BROADCAST INFORMATION RYAN'S REIGN: Indiana, Pa. native Michael Ryan returns for a third season as Curve manager in 2019. Over the last two years, the Curve have gone 152-126 under Ryan's direction and won back-to-back Western Division titles for the first time in club history. Ryan's .547 winning percentage entering the 2019 season is second-best all-time among Curve managers behind Tony Beasley's .569 mark (161-122) during the 2004-05 seasons. His 152 wins rank fourth all-time in team history. Ryan joins elite company with Dale Sveum (2001-03) and Tim Leiper (2006-08) as the only managers to hold the post for three seasons. Ryan's coaching career began in Altoona in 2012 before he went on to manage the Single-A West Virginia Power the following two seasons. He managed Bradenton from 2015-16 and Garett Mansfield and Michael Marcantonini won league champonships in the Florida State League in 2016 in addition to the Eastern League in 2017.