Tag: Jim Negrych

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees �3, �Indianapolis Indians �2 (box)

The Yankees held the Indians to just 3 hits tonight at PNC Field in Scranton, PA, �snapping the Indians' 5-game winning streak. �Pitchers ruled the game, as six hurlers combined for a total of 26 strikeouts.

After the Indians went down in order in the top of the 1st (two strikeouts), Scranton got the scoring started in the bottom of the frame. �With two outs, Tribe starter Brian Burres (photo) gave up back-to-back singles to SS Eduardo Nunez and DH Jesus Montero. �He hit 1B David Winfree with a pitch to load the bases. �C Rene Rivera drove a liner into left field, scoring both Nunez and Montero, before Burres ended the inning with a strikeout.

The Indians got the runs right back in the top of the 2nd inning. �3B Pedro Alvarez worked the count full, then smashed a solo home run over the right-center field wall. �1B Jeff Clement made it back-to-back homers with a blast over the center field wall on a 0-1 pitch, to tie the score. �Yankees' starter Dustin Moseley responded by striking out the next three batters, CF Jonathan Van Every, C Erik Kratz, and 2B Doug Bernier, to end the inning.

Keeping in the home run theme, Yankees' CF Greg Golson added his own solo homer, with one out in the 2nd inning, giving the lead back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

And that was the end of the scoring.

Brian Burres struck out two batters in the 2nd, around that home run. �He gave up singles in the 3rd and 5th, and hit a batter (Nunez) in the 3rd. �He also struck out four batters over the 3rd - 5th innings, plus one more to begin the 6th inning. �With two outs in the 6th, Burres gave up a double to 2B Reegie Corona. �That ended his evening, and he was relieved by Anthony Claggett. Burres had thrown 105 pitches, 70 of them strikes, and gave up 3 runs on 7 hits, no walks, with 8 strikeouts.

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Brandon Moss is congratulated on his home run.

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Indianapolis Indians �10, �Pawtucket Red Sox �3 (box)

The Indianapolis Indians scored 9 runs in the first three innings tonight at Victory Field, pounding the Pawtucket Red Sox to earn a sweep of their 4-game series. �The two teams have now completed their 8-game season series, with the Indians nearly sweeping that too -- 7 wins for the Indians and only one for the PawSox. �The win, combined with a loss by the Columbus Clippers, moves the Indians up to 1.5 games behind the first-place Clippers in the International League Western Division.

The game began with a run for the PawSox in the top of the 1st. �Tribe starter Hayden Penn (photo) had a tough 1st inning, and it was not entirely his own doing. �Penn gave up a single to the Pawtucket lead-off hitter, 2B Niuman Romero. �He got SS Gil Vasquez to fly out and tricked DH Angel Sanchez into swinging at an outside pitch for strike three, but then hit 1B Lars Anderson with a pitch. �LF Aaron Bates grounded to third base, but 3B Pedro Alvarez, going to his right, has the ball pop into and out of his glove as he crossed into foul territory. �Alvarez recovered the ball quickly and turned to fire to first -- but airmailed the ball way over 1B Jeff Clement's head and into the stands. �That allowed Romero to score, and put Anderson on third and Bates on second base, as Alvarez was charged with both a fielding and a throwing error. �A ground out ended the inning, with Pawtucket up 1-0.

That didn't last long. �The Indians exploded for 6 runs in the bottom of the inning, as they sent 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of the 1st. �LF Kevin Melillo led off with a line drive into right field for a single. �RF Brandon Moss took the lead back for the Indians with a 2-run blast over the wall in the deepest part of left-center field (photo). �Brian Myrow, who had DH duties tonight with the arrival of Jeff Clement, continued the fun with a grounder that handcuffed the PawSox 2B Romero, ruled a single. �Myrow moved to second base when Pawtucket pitcher Randor Bierd, and moments later, took third base the same way. �Neither of those wild pitches got all that far away from home plate, but Myrow was being alert and took the Red Sox by surprise.

Pedro Alvarez struck out for the first out of the inning, and Clement followed with a walk. �With runners on the corners, CF Jonathan Van Every hit a long fly ball that turned into a sacrifice fly, scoring Myrow. �C Erik Kratz grounded up the middle for another single, and Clement advanced to second base. �2B Doug Bernier continued with a grounder through the hole into left field, scoring Clement from second base. �Kratz and Bernier both came across the plate on a grounder that slipped past third base and continued along the left field line by SS Argenis Diaz. At this point, Randor Bierd was looking hopefully down toward his bullpen, where he saw -- no one moving, no rescue in sight. �But Bierd got Kevin Melillo to fly out, finally ending the inning. �The Tribe had a resounding 6-1 lead.

The Indy Indians lost today, as did all of the other affiliates who were playing -- the Power also won, splitting a double header.

Tomorrow MLB will hold the 2010 Draft... stay tuned!

New Hampshire Fisher Cats �5, �Altoona Curve �3 (box)

Like yesterday, the Curve had an early 3-run inning to take the lead, but also like yesterday, they gave up runs in the late innings and lost to the Fisher Cats. �And like the Indy Indians today, the Curve faced a former teammate -- Ronald Uviedo, who was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays last week, made the start for the Fisher Cats. �Uviedo was a reliever while pitching for the Curve, so he will need to get stretched out -- he was limited to just 3 innings today. �Uviedo retired his old mates in order in the 1st inning, but gave up two walks, to LF Alex Presley and DH Jim Negrych in the 2nd. �The walks were followed by a booming home run by RF Miles Durham, to give the Curve 3 runs. �Uviedo also walked 3B Josh Harrison in the 3rd inning, but left him on base.

Jared Hughes had the start for the Curve. �He begin the bottom of the 1st inning with three straight singled, loading the bases with no outs. �A grounder to short for a force out at second brought in one run, but they did not get a double play. �Instead, Hughes struck out the next batter and ended the inning with an easy grounder to first.

That 3-1 score held for the next 5 innings. �Counting those three outs after the three singles in the 1st, Hughes retired 17 Fisher Cats batters in order, taking him to the 6th inning with two outs. �That's when he loaded the bases again, on a single, a walk, and a single, before bearing down to get out of the jam with a fly out.

After Uviedo finished the 3rd inning, the Curve got a walk by C Hector Gimenez in the 4th, and SS Chase d'Arnaud was hit by a pitch in the 5th, but neither scored. �They came close in the 6th, when Josh Harrison led off with a double. �A passed ball had Harrison moving, but he was caught in a run-down on the third base line, and eventually tagged out.

New Hampshire added a run in the bottom of the 7th off reliever Tony Watson. A double and two ground outs did the trick, and the Curve lead was cut to 3-2. �The Curve got the run back right away, when d'Arnaud led off the top of the 8th with a triple, then scored on a wild pitch. �Two more Curve batters got on base in the inning, with a walk to CF Gorkys Hernandez and 1B Matt Hague being hit by a pitch, but a double play ended the inning without further runs scoring.

The Fisher Cats did their damage in the bottom of the 8th. �With Watson still on the mound, a double and a ground out put a base runner on third. �Jimmy Barthmaier relieved Watson, but he walked the only batter he faced. �Danny Moskos came on next, and he gave up an RBI single to tie the game. �A throwing error on the play moved the runners to second and third base. �Another single drove in both runners to give the Fisher Cats the winning run plus an insurance run. �The Curve tried to rally in the 9th, when Gimenez walked and Negrych singled, but two strikeouts ended the game.

New Hampshire Fisher Cats �5, �Altoona Curve �3 (box)

The Curve took the early lead with a 3-run 2nd inning, but two late-inning 2-run rallies gave the Fisher Cats the win on Saturday. �Curve batters took advantage of walks in the 2nd inning. �They loaded the bases with no outs on a double by 1B Matt Hague, 2B Jordy Mercer being hit by a pitch, and a walk to DH Jim Negrych. LF Alex Presley singled up the middle, scoring both Hague and Mercer. �Walks to C Kris Watts and SS Chase d'Arnaud forced in the third run of the inning.

Unfortunately, that was all the scoring the Curve would do. �They put runners on base in several other innings, but could not push any of them around to score. �They came closest in the 8th, when Hague and Mercer both singled in the 8th, and a throwing error got Hague as far as third base, but he got no further. �Presley singled to lead off the 4th, but could not advance. �Mercer walked in the 3rd, but was erased in the double play, and Hague walked in the 5th. �In their final chance, Watts walked with two outs in the 9th, but a strikeout by d'Arnaud ended the game.

Starter Bryan Morris pitched 6 dominating innings, but was not involved in the decision. �He allowed only two hits in those 6 innings, a single in the 2nd inning, and a solo homer to 3B Shawn Bowman in the 4th. �Morris also allowed a walk in the 6th, and he struck out 4 batters.

Jeff Sues took over for Morris to begin the 7th, and that's when the Fisher cats were able to make their move. �After a strikeout, Sues gave up a ground-rule double, a wild pitch, and two walks, loading the bases. �He was relieved by Mike Dubee. The first batter Dubee faced grounded right up the middle, and though Dubee tried to get it, the ball was deflected off his glove as it zoomed into center field, scoring two runners to tie the score at 3-3. �Dubee got out of the inning with a strikeout and a ground out. �But the Fisher Cats came right back at Dubee in the 8th. �Four consecutive singles led off the inning, driving in two more runs and New Hampshire took the lead. �The Curve could not answer in the 9th, and the Fisher Cats had the win.

Two morning games today in the Pirates' organization. �Pat Irvine was brought up from extended spring training to take the place of catcher Josue Peley, who was traded away a few days ago. �Irvine was the Pirates' 33rd round pick in the 2009 draft. �He played at State College for the second half of 2009, but he split his time between third base and left field.... now he's a catcher.

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Lexington Legends �6, �West Virginia Power �3 (box)

The Power and the Legends were the first to get started this morning, and the Power bats woke up first. �CF Evan Chambers opened the game with a looping single into right-center field. �2B Jarek Cunningham dropped another single in, right in front of the Legends' center fielder, then a wild pitch moved both runners up a base. �DH�Aaron Baker grounded out to first base, allowing Chambers to score from third base. �LF Rogelios Noris was hit by a pitch, but a double play ended the inning. �The Power took advantage of an error by the Legends' second baseman, who bobbled the ball, then threw wide to first base in the 2nd inning, putting 3B Elevys Gonzalez on base. �RF Jose Hernandez drove Gonzalez in with a double lined into the right field corner. �After two innings, the Power were leading 2-0.

Power starter Brandon Holden also got off to a good start, retiring the Legends in order in the 1st inning, and allowing only a walk in the 2nd -- then he threw out the runner trying to steal second to end the inning. �The Legends loaded the bases against Holden in the 3rd inning with one out -- on a walk, a single, and a fielding error by SS Benji Gonzalez. �But Holden induced a double play to end the inning, with a ground out to 2B Cunningham, who stepped on second base, then threw on to 1B Kyle Morgan to end the inning without a run scoring.

The Legends got to Holden in the 4th inning. �A lead-off single was followed by a strikeout, but then a double brought in the first Lexington run. �Another single drove in the second run of the inning, to tie the game. �Lexington added three more runs in the 5th, as they took advantage of mistakes by the Power. �A lead-off double by 2B Jose Altuve and a single by SS Miguel Arrendell put runners on the corners. �When Arrendell tried to steal second base, new Power catcher Pat Irvine�made a throw to second base, but his throw went into center field for an error, allowing Altuve to score and Arrendell to reach third base. �CF Evan Chambers' throw back to the infield, presumably aiming for third base, went sailing into the stands, and Arrendell also scored. �After another single, Holden was relieved by Jhonatan Ramos. Ramos had trouble too, hitting a batter, and giving up a single, which brought in the third run of the inning (charged to Holden). �A throw in to the plate was on-target but but the runner slid to the outside edge of the plate and eluded Irvine's tag. �A passed ball put runners on second and third, but the next batter tapped a grounder to first, which 1B Morgan fired back to the plate, and this time Irvine was able to apply the tag to prevent the run from scoring.

After scoring in the 2nd, the Power were able to put runners on base in 4 of the next 5 innings. �Jarek Cunningham and Benji Gonzalez singled, Jose Hernandez singled twice, and Kyle Morgan doubled, but none of them could come around to score. �The Power scored again in the 8th, when Aaron Baker led off with a double down the left field line, barely fair. �He advanced to third on Rogelios Noris's ground out, and then scored on Morgan's RBI ground out. �Pat Irvine was up next, and with a count 3-0 on him, the rain that had been going on for some time became much harder, and the game was halted for a rain delay. �The rain didn't last long, though, and play was resumed, with Irvine getting robbed of what should have been a double down the right field line, thanks to an excellent run and dive by the Legends' RF JD Martinez.

Ramos pitched two more scoreless innings, giving up three more singles. �Zach Foster came on to pitch the bottom of the 8th. �He gave up a solo homer to Altuve, to keep the Legends three runs ahead. �The Power could not respond in the top of the 9th, and the Legends had the win. �Brandon Holden was charged with the loss, his fourth of the season. �Hernandez went 3-for-4 for the Power, and Cunningham had 2 hits.

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The Curve also had a morning game.... �"Read More"

Curve pitcher Tim Alderson was named the Eastern League's Pitcher Of The Week, for the week of May 24 - 30. �Alderson won two starts during that week, on the 24th and the 29th. �In 13 innings of work, he gave up only one run on 8 hits and 3 walks, with a total of 10 strikeouts. �His ERA for the two games was 0.69. �Overall, Alderson has a 4-2 record and a 4.75 ERA in 10 starts for the Curve.

Reliever Ronald Uviedo, who has made 16 appearances for the Curve this season, was traded today to the Blue Jays in return for starter Dana Eveland, who will be joining the Pirates' rotation. �Uviedo was on the Pirates' 40-man roster, so trading him opens up a space on the 40-man roster for Eveland. �Uviedo has an 0-2 record with the Curve, no saves, and a 3.22 ERA in 22.1 innings. �He has allowed 13 hits, 8 runs (3 homers), and 12 walks, while striking out 28 batters.

Altoona Curve �4, �New Britain Rock Cats �1 (box)

Jared Hughes pitched 7 strong innings, allowing only one run on 5 hits and a walk, while striking out 6 batters, to earn his Eastern League-leading 8th win of the season. �Hughes gave up the run in the 1st inning. �A lead-off single, a stolen base, a sacrifice fly, and an RBI ground out gave the Rock Cats their only tally of the game. �Hughes gave up a double in each of the next two innings, and a single in the 4th, but each time worked around the base runner to keep the Rock Cats from scoring. �The last single plus the walk came in the 6th inning, but again Hughes bore down and ended the inning with the runners still standing there. �He finished off his night with two strikeouts in the 7th inning.

The Curve put runners on base in each of the first 4 innings, but could not push them around to score. �Two singles by CF Gorkys Hernandez, walks by 1B Matt Hague and RF Miles Durham, and a double by LF Alex Presley were not enough to bring in any runs. �Finally in the 3rd, the Curve tied the score at 1-1 when C Kris Watts led off with a double, moved to third on SS Chase d'Arnaud's single, and scored on Hernandez's sacrifice fly. �A walk to DH Jim Negrych and a single by Hague loaded the bases, but all three were left on base when the inning ended.

D'Arnaud got the go-ahead RBI in the 6th. �Presley and Durham led off with back-to-back singles. �A bunt by Watts went a little awry, and Durham was out at second, but Presley made it safely to third and Watts was safe on first. �That set up d'Arnaud, who lined a double into left field, scoring Presley, for the 2-1 lead.

The Curve tacked on two insurance runs in the top of the 9th. �Negrych reached second base on a throwing error by the Rock Cats' third baseman Juan Portes. �Hague walked, then 2B Jordy Mercer grounded to third base. �Portes made the force out of Negrych at third, but then made a throwing error, and Hague ended up on third, with Mercer safe on second. �A wild pitch allowed Hague to score, and a single by 3B Josh Harrison brought in Mercer.

Jeff Sues pitched a scoreless 8th inning for the Curve, retiring the side in order. �Danny Moskos finished things off by striking out the side in the 9th, earning his 12th save of the season.

The Curve have a school-day special in New Britain tomorrow, with the game beginning at 10:30 am.

Holiday weekend play in the Pirates' minor league organization:

Tampa Yankees �14, �Bradenton Marauders �5 (box)

The Marauders were boarded and sunk by the Yankees on Sunday afternoon in Bradenton. �Two late-inning rallies kept them from being shut out, but were not nearly enough for the Marauders to catch up.

The Yankees hit starter Hunter Strickland hard, beginning in the 2nd inning, when the first four batters reached base: �two singles, a walk, and a hit batter forcing in a run. �A sacrifice fly brought in a second run, and another single gave the Yankees a 3-0 lead.

It got worse in the 3rd inning. �With out out, Strickland gave up a ground-rule double, and an RBI single. �When the runner from first base stole second, 2B James Skelton could not keep hold of C Eric Fryer's throw, and the runner was safe at second base. �A walk and a single loaded the bases, and another single drove in the second run of the inning. �Melkin Laureano relieved Strickland at that point, but Laureano gave up a walk to drive in a run, and then a bases-clearing double for three more runs. � Laureano was responsible for only one of those runs (earned), and only one of the five runs that Strickland allowed in the 3rd inning was earned.

Laureano gave up 3 more runs in the 5th inning, on a double followed by back-to-back home runs. �He struck out the next three batters in a row, but the Yankees were up 12-0. �Tom Boleska was next out of the bullpen for the Marauders. �He retired the Yankees in order in the 6th, but gave up another 2-run homer in the 7th to increase Tampa's lead to 14-0. �Mike Colla and rehabbing Jimmy Barthmaier each pitched an inning to finish it up for Bradenton, and they were the most effective pitchers -- each retired three batters in order.

It might have been easy for the Marauders to give up. �They had managed only a walk and a single by DH Tony Sanchez over the first four innings. �They had put two runners on base in the 5th, on singles by 1B Calvin Anderson and 3B Adenson Chourio. CF Robbie Grossman and pinch-hitter Anthony Norman both singled in the 6th, but none of those runners were able to come around to score.

Finally, in the 8th inning, the Marauders were able to crack the scoreboard. �SS Brock Holt led off with a single, and Grossman reached base on a fielding error. �Norman, who had remained in the game in left field, was hit by a pitch to load the bases. �Eric Fryer brought in Holt with a sacrifice fly, and Anderson's second single of the game scored Grossman. �14 - 2 is still better than 14 - 0.

The Marauders rallied again in the 9th, this time with two outs. �Holt and Grossman started it again with back-to-back singles. �Norman was hit by a pitch again, to load the bases. �Sanchez doubled, clearing the bases, and the Marauders had climbed to 14 - 5. �Fryer walked and Anderson singled for the third time in the game, loading the bases again, but RF Eric Huber struck out to end the game.

Nate Adcock, who earned his 5th win in last night's Marauders' game, has been named the Florida State League's Pitcher of the Week for May 17th - 23rd. �Adcock made two starts during the week, going a total of �12 innings (6 each), and allowing just one run, for an ERA of 0.75 during the week. �He also gave up 5 hits, 2 walks, and struck out 12 batters. �Adcock's record is now 5-2, and his ERA stands at 2.50. �He has pitched 50.1 innings and allowed 42 hits, 14 earned runs, 9 walks, with 54 strikeouts.

Some roster moves over the past few days:

INF Jim Negrych has been placed on Altoona's temporarily inactive list, due to a family illness.

P Diego Moreno has been promoted from Bradenton to Altoona. �He earned a 3-0 record and a 1.37 ERA in 16 relief appearances for the Marauders.

P Melkin Laureano has been promoted from West Virginia to Bradenton. �In 10 games (5 starts) for the Power, Laureano earned a 2-3 record and a 2.83 ERA.

P Mike Williams has been promoted from State College to West Virginia. �The Spikes have not started their season yet, so Williams has really not been there, but in extended spring training in Bradenton.

INF Adenson Chourio and OF Wes Freeman have been reassigned from West Virginia to State College, which means they are going to Bradenton for a few weeks. �Chourio was hitting .217 with 4 RBI in 15 games for the Power. �Freeman had appeared in 24 games for the Power, but was hitting .155, with 5 doubles, a triple, 6 RBI, and 44 strikeouts.

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Altoona Curve �2, �Erie SeaWolves �1 (box)

The Curve extended their winning streak to 5 games with a win over Erie on Sunday afternoon. �That gives them a sweep of the 4-game series in Erie, and puts them 11 games over .500 with a 27-16 record. �They are in first place in the Eastern League Western Division, 3 games ahead of the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

Justin Wilson made the start for the Curve and allowed only one unearned run in his 6 innings of work for his 2nd win of the season. �Wilson allowed only 2 hit and 3 walks, while striking out 10 Erie batters. �He worked around two walks in the 1st inning, then retired the side in the 2nd. �The unearned run came in the 3rd inning. �A single into center field plus a fielding error by CF Gorkys Hernandez put a runner on second base, and a second single put runners on the corners. �A double steal (home and second) brought in the run for Erie, unearned because of the error. �Wilson gave up another walk in the 4th, but C Hector Gimenez threw that runner out trying to steal second base. �After that steal attempt, Wilson retired the next 7 batters in order.

Dustin Molleken pitched 2 innings and allowed just one hit, while striking out 4 batters. �Danny Moskos pitched the 9th inning, working around a walk to keep the SeaWolves at bay and earn his 10th save.

The Curve were not doing much hitting either, and they were making it look like Wilson was going to suffer from lack of run support again. �Erie starter Andy Oliver also pitched well, allowing only 4 hits, while striking out 9 Curve batters. �The Curve put up a lot of donuts for the first 6 innings. �DH Jim Negrych singled in the 1st, and 1B Matt Hague reached on a throwing error, but both were left on base. �C Hector Gimenez walked to lead off the 2nd, and reached third base, but was left there. �RF Miles Durham singled in the 4th, with the same result.

Finally in the 7th, the Curve made Wilson happy. �With one out, Gimenez singled, then after a strikeout, 2B Shelby Ford crushed his third home run of the season over the left field wall, giving the Curve a 2-1 lead.

The Curve worked two more walks (Hernandez and Gimenez again) over the last two innings, but did not score again.

Now for a treat: Fellow Pirates' fan Mike Davenport, who lives in Erie, was at the game, and he sent along some notes he made at this game, along with permission to share them here: �(after the jump)

Saturday evening wins for the entire Pirates' minor league system!

Altoona Curve 8, �Erie SeaWolves 3 � �Game 1 (box)

Altoona had a double-header, making up for a game that had been rained out back in April. �The Curve exploded out of the box with a 4-run 1st inning and never looked back in Game 1. �3B Jordy Mercer led the charge by going 4-for-4 with an RBI, and RF Alex Presley and 1B Matt Hague had 3 hits each.

A throwing error put SS Chase d'Arnaud on base to begin the game, and singles by CF Gorkys Hernandez, Hague, and Mercer, plus a double by Presley and a wild pitch brought in those 4 runs in the top of the 1st. �Erie came back with two runs in the bottom of the inning, on three walks and a double off starter Jared Hughes. Hughes made a wild pitch on strike three to put a runner on base in the 2nd inning, and a double and a sacrifice fly brought in another run, to bring Erie within one run, 4-3.

Hague led off the 3rd inning with a walk, then stole second base. �Mercer and C Hector Gimenez followed with singles, and Presley's second double of the game plus another single by LF Jose De Los Santos added 3 more runs. �Another walk, this one to DH Jim Negrych, began the 4th inning, and he scored on two singles and a fly out with a missed catch error by the Erie third baseman.

Hughes settled down a bit in the 3rd and 4th innings, but began the 5th with a walk and a single. �Mike Dubee finished up the inning with a strikeout and a grounder force out, then allowed only one hit over the next two innings. �Dubee earned the win. �Hughes struck out 7 batters in his 4.1 innings, and Dubee added 5 more strikeouts.

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Curve 7, �SeaWolves 3 � �Game 2 (box)

The Curve jumped out to an early lead in this game also, with 3 runs in the top of the 1st. �This time, SS Chase d'Arnaud opened the game with a walk, and singles by CF Gorkys Hernandez, DH Jim Negrych, and 3B Jordy Mercer brought in 3 runs. �Derek Hankins gave up 3 runs in the bottom of the 2nd, on three singles, a walk, and a triple, tying the game at 3-3.

LF Alex Presley liked the idea of that triple, so he hit one of his own in the 3rd inning, following a single by 2B Josh Harrison, to break the tie. �C Kris Watts gave the Curve an insurance run in the 4th, with a lead-off home run. The Curve bats were quiet for a couple of innings, then woke up again in the top of the 7th. �With one out, Negrych and 1B Matt Hague hit back-to-back doubles, and Harrison added another single, for 2 more runs.

Hankins retired 10 Erie batters in order after the runs scored in the 2nd inning. �He got a strikeout but gave up two walks to begin the 6th inning, and was relieved by Corey Hamman. Hamman finished the inning with two quick outs. �Danny Moskos pitched a perfect inning in the 7th, including 2 strikeouts, to finish the game. �Hankins earned his 4th win of the season.

The Curve recorded a total of 23 hits over the two games.

Altoona Curve �9, � Richmond Flying Squirrels �2 (box)

Jared Hughes earned his 7th win, the most of any pitcher in the Eastern League, as the Curve beat the Flying Squirrels in Richmond on Saturday evening. �Hughes allowed two runs (one earned) on 4 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 4 batters. �He breezed through the first two innings, then gave up the earned run in the 3rd, on a hit batter, a single up the middle, and an RBI ground out. �Hughes then retired 9 more Squirrels in order, before giving up a double in the 6th. �A ground out moved the runner to third base, and a throwing error by 3B Josh Harrison let the runner score. �Hughes allowed two singles and a walk in the 7th inning, but a double play got him out of that jam.

1B Shelby Ford provided the big part of the Curve's offensive attack. �He went 3-for-5 for the night, with a single and two home runs, accounting for 5 RBI. �Ford homered from both sides of the plate -- from the right side in the 4th and from the left side in the 7th. �Ford also singled in the 2nd inning, but was left stranded. �He put the Curve onto the scoreboard for the first time in the 4th inning, when he homered over the left field wall after a walk by RF Miles Durham. C Hector Gimenez also knocked a 2-run homer in the 5th inning, following 2B Jim Negrych's single.

The Curve went into the 7th inning with a 4-2 lead, and that was when they exploded for 5 more runs. �SS Chase d'Arnaud led off with a walk, and moved to third base when CF Alex Presley singled up the middle. �Negrych plated d'Arnaud with a ground out to first base. �Gimenez singled to put runners on the corners, and Harrison's ground out brought in Presley. �Durham was hit by a pitch, then Ford blasted his second home run, also bringing in Gimenez and Durham.

Relievers Mike Dubee and Danny Moskos each pitched a scoreless inning to finish the game for the Curve. �Gimenez and Durham each had two hits for the Curve. �D'Arnaud and Presley both singled and walked twice, with a stolen base for d'Arnaud.

Who was the last Curve batter to have 5 RBI in one game? �It was Ford, on August 8th of last season.

Harrisburg Senators 3, �Altoona Curve 2 (box)

Rain cut short the late-morning/early afternoon game in Altoona on Tuesday, and didn't give the Curve a chance to catch up to the Senators for a second time. �Starter Derek Hankins gave up an unearned run in the top of the 2nd. �A lead-off double and Hankins' own throwing error on a pickoff attempt put a runner on third base with no outs. �After a walk, a grounder for a double play was enough to score the runner from third base.

The Curve batters went down in order for the first two innings. �Two Harrisburg errors put C Kris Watts on third base and SS Chase d'Arnaud on first with two outs in the 3rd inning, but a fly out ended that threat as the rain began to fall. �Altoona got onto the scoreboard in the 4th, tying the game on a single by 1B Matt Hague and an RBI double by RF Miles Durham. Durham went to third base on a ground out, but was left there when the inning ended.

Harrisburg didn't let the tie last long. �They scored 2 more runs in the top of the 5th, on a walk and a 2-run homer, taking a 3-1 lead. �The Curve came right back in the bottom of the inning. �Watts was hit by a pitch, and pinch-hitter Jim Negrych doubled into right field, moving Watts to third base. �A sacrifice fly by d'Arnaud plated Watts and moved Negrych to third base. �He could not advance further, though, as a ground out and a line out ended the inning. �At that point, the rain was much harder, and the umpires called for a rain delay. �After nearly two hours of waiting and hoping for another chance to score, it was clear that the rain was not going to stop. �Since 5 full innings had been played, it was an official game, and the Curve were on the losing end.

The rain also held Alex Presley to just 2 at-bats, both of which were outs. �That ended his 24-game on-base streak.