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 13, 2019 -- Games #9/10, Home Games #2/3 Akron RubberDucks (1-7) vs. Altoona Curve (6-2) RHP Zach Plesac (0-0, 3.00) vs. RHP Scooter Hightower (0-0, 3.00) LHP David Speer (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Pedro Vasquez (1-0, 1.50) 3 p.m. | Peoples Natural Gas Field | Altoona, Pa. Radio -- WRTA 98.5 FM & Curve Radio Network | TV -- MiLB.TV UPCOMING GAMES & PITCHING PROBABLES Sun., April 14 Akron 2 p.m. LHP Sam Hentges (0-2, 9.39) vs. RHP James Marvel (1-1, 3.09) Mon., April 15 Harrisburg 6 p.m. RHP Wil Crowe (2-0, 0.82) vs. RHP Dario Agrazal (1-1, 6.75) Tues., April 16 Harrisburg 6 p.m. RHP Erick Fedde (1-0, 4.09) vs. LHP Cam Vieaux (0-0, 0.00) Wed., April 17 Harrisburg 10:30 a.m. RHP Sterling Sharp (1-1, 6.30) vs. TBD THURSDAY: The 2019 Curve home opener resulted in a win for the third straight year, all against the Akron Rubber- 2019 E.L. WESTERN STANDINGS Ducks, with a 3-2 victory in 12 innings. Lefty Cam Vieaux tossed six shutout innings in the start for the Curve while Hunter Owen's RBI double plated the first of the game on a double in the home half of the sixth. A balk by Vicente Team W-L PCT GB Today Campos in the seventh erased Vieaux's chance to pick up the win and tied the game, 1-1. The Curve and Rubber- Harrisburg 8-1 .889 -- @ BOW Ducks went to extra frames for the first time this season and traded runs in the 11th before Bligh Madris delivered a walk-off single for the Curve in the 12th to end the game. The Altoona franchise now owns a 16-5 record all-time in Altoona 6-2 .750 1.5 vs. AKR home openers. Richmond 4-2 .667 2.5 @ REA Erie 4-3 .571 3.0 @ BIN TODAY: The 21st season of Altoona Curve Baseball continues as the Curve play the second and third games of a four-game series against the Akron RubberDucks, Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. Friday's game was Bowie 2-7 .286 5.5 vs. HBG postponed due to rain and will be made up today as a double-header. Akron 1-7 .125 6.5 @ ALT THE CURVE: Altoona started the season 5-0 for the second time in team history, matching the record set by the 2019 E.L. EASTERN STANDINGS 2006 club, prior to dropping their last two games on the road before Thursday's win at home. Entering 2019, the Curve own the longest active streak for reaching the Eastern League postseason as the only club to make the Team W-L PCT GB Today playoffs in each of the last four seasons. Four consecutive playoff appearances is also tied for the longest streak in Reading 4-2 .667 -- vs. RIC franchise history (2003-06). Over the last four years, the Curve have 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). Binghamton 3-2 .600 0.5 vs. ERI Trenton 3-3 .500 1.0 vs. POR THE RUBBERDUCKS: Akron stumbled out of the games and have lost seven of their first eight games. All but two of New Hamp. 4-4 .500 1.0 @ HFD Akron's seven defeats were decided by two runs or fewer. Akron reached the playoffs in 2018 as the Western Divi- sion wild card club and reachd the Eastern League Championship Series for the second time in the three seasons Portland 1-3 .250 2.0 @ TRN after defeating the Curve, 3-1, in their best-of-five series last September. However, the RubberDucks were swept Hartford 2-7 .250 3.5 vs. NHM in three games by the New Hampshire Fisher Cats during the Eastern League Championship Series. Akron carries four of the Indians Top 30 prospects with left-handed pitcher Sam Hentges (No. 10), shortstop Ernie Clement (No. 15), outfielder Daniel Johnson (No. 22) and right-handed pitcher James Karinchak (No. 30) return to the team. Akron 2019 CURVE AT A GLANCE also brings back three 2018 Eastern League All-Stars in outfielders Andrew Calica and Connor Marabell along with Overall Record ............................................ 6-2 right-handed pitcher Jake Paulson. Home ................................................... 0-0 FOR ALTOONA: Right-handed pitcher Scooter Hightower will start for the Curve in the first game for his third ap- Road .................................................... 6-2 pearance of the season. This will be Hightower's third straight appearance against the RubberDucks to start the year after he pitching in relief on Opening Day in Akron and made the start on Sunday afternoon. He finished the Place (E.L. Western) ................................. 2nd 2018 regular season on a 15.1-inning scoreless streak and extended that stretch to 18 innings before Akron scored Games Ahead/Behind ............................... -1.5 two runs in the second inning on Sunday. The righty from Clarskville, Tenn. made 11 appearances for Altoona in ........................................................... W1 2018, including seven starts, and turned in a 2-1 record with a 2.41 ERA. Hightower was drafted by the Pirates in the Streak 15th round during the 2015 draft out of Columbia State Community College....For more on Hightower, see page two. Last 5............................................................ 3-2 Last 10 ......................................................... 6-2 Right-handed pitcher Pedro Vasquez will make his third outing of the season and his second start of the campaign in game two. He made his season debut on Friday at Akron with a scoreless seventh inning before he earned the win on 4/8 @ ERI after five, one-run innings. Vasquez made two starts against Akron in 2018, going 0-2 despite two 2019 vs. Akron ........................................... 5-0 quality starts which included a seven-inning, one-run effort at PNG Field on 5/29. The right-hander from Santo Do- mingo was originally signed by the Mariners as an international free agent and was traded to the Pirates organiza- at Altoona .......................................... 1-0 tion in September 2016....For more on Vasquez, see page three. at Akron ............................................. 4-0 All-time vs. Akron ..............................196-230 FOR AKRON: Right-hander Zach Plesac climbs the hill for his second 2019 start after he made his season debut against the Curve on Sunday in Akron. Plesac allowed two runs on five hits over six innings in a no-decision at at Altoona ...................................112-108 Canal Park. He made four starts with Akron in the regular season in 2018 and started two games in the Eastern at Akron ........................................84-122 League playoffs. Plesac threw six scoreless innings at PNG Field and received one of three wins in the E.L. against the Curve on May 26, 2018. Plesac also started Game 3 of the ELDS against the Curve and allowed two runs over 4.1 innings and took a no-decision. Between Akron and A-Adv. Lynchburg in 2018, Plesac went 11-6 with a 3.79 ERA ‘19 Home Attendance ............................ 5,023 over 26 starts. The Indians drafted the Indiana native in the 12th round of the 2016 draft out of Ball State. Home Openings ..............................................1 Left-hander David Speer makes the spot start in game two of Saturday's double-header. His starting nod will be his Average Attendance ............................... 5,023 seventh career start, first fourth at Double-A and first of 2019. Speer has made 13 career outings against the Curve and owns a 1-0 record with a 2.45 ERA (5 ER/18.1 IP). He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 27th round out of Columbia University in 2014. CHANGING THE NARRATIVE: Dating back to back-to-back walk-off wins against the RubberDucks on May 30-31, 2018, the Curve have won 14 of the last 19 regular-season meetings between the two clubs. Altoona has finished .500 or better in the season series against Akron just six times over 20 previous seasons. Since the start of the 2017 season, the Curve own a 27-20 record against the 'Ducks. Altoona's 12-10 mark against Akron in the regular season was just the fourth time in club history that the Curve owned the season series outright and the first time since 2010. MOUND MATTERS: Despite four walks by Curve starter Cam Vieaux on Thursday, Altoona's pitching staff still has a share of the fewest walks allowed by any team in Minor League Baseball with 15 (tied with Reading and Montgom- ery). Meanwhile, the five walks allowed by Curve starters are the third-fewest of all full-season squads in action, while only A-Adv. Dunedin (3) and Double-A Erie (4) starters have walked fewer hitters. Altoona's bullpen has sur- BROADCAST INFORMATION rendered six runs through eight games, tied for the fewest across Double-A. BLIGH GUY: Bligh Madris delivered his fifth career walk-off hit with a game-winning single in the bottom of the 12th inning on Thursday to lift the Curve, 3-2, over Akron in Altoona's season opener. With A-Adv. Bradenton in 2018, the Las Vegas native connect on three walk-off hits, most recently a walk-off homer on August 21 vs. Charlotte. Madris is second in the Eastern League with 11 total his to start his Double-A career in 2019 while his six runs scored are fourth-best on the circuit.