Trouble for Erie? --
you 'Brett'cha!
In four games against
the Erie SeaWolves this season, Brett Roneberg is batting .474
with four runs scored
The Australian native has the highest on-base percentage (.500)
of any Curve player against Erie, going 9-for-19 with a walk against
the intrastate rival
Roneberg became the seventh player in the history of the Curve
to collect five hits in a game when he went 5-for-6 against the
SeaWolves at Jerry Uht Park on May 3, and has had at least one
hit in all four games he's played against Erie
The Result
Curve - 3 runs
to 1
The Curve - Year-to-Date
32 won and 18 lost
Brett's Position and
the Batting Order
Playing - First
base
Batting - #4
At the end of the Game
1 hit from 4 at-bats
- single, 2 x strike outs
Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Ball
Strike - "and he got one by Roneberg there"
Ball - "that was up and in and Roneberg backs away"
Foul ball - tipped at the plate
Called strike - on the inside corner - "Brett didn't like
that call and he has a few parting words for the umpire"
Strike out
Second at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - none down
Ball - high
Swing and a miss
Called strike
Swing and a miss - "that was a 96mph fast ball up in the
zone and Brett had no chance of catching up with it"
Strike out
Third at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
The bases are loaded!!! - and it's two down!!!
Foul ball - "and that pitch was ripped down the rightfield
line but goes into foul territory"
"Brett pops this one up a mile high and the shortstop camps
under it and makes the catch to end the innings"
Infield fly out - F6
Fourth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - one down
"Brett smacks that pitch into rightfield for a base hit and
his first hit of the ballgame"
Single to rightfield
Runner advanced to second base
Brett went to second on a hit by the next Curve batter
Left stranded at the end of the innings
Heard during the game
(#01) During Brett's first at-bat, the commentator mentioned - "Brett has moved up in the Eastern League Top-10 in the batting average category and is now in second spot with 339 ...... and even though he was handicapped by missing the first eighteen games of the season, he is also in the Top-10 in several other categories ...... he is equal second with thirty runs scored ...... he has been getting on base consistently and scoring a lot of runs for the Curve ...... and with twenty-three runs-batted-in, he is in equal eighth position"
(#02) After Brett struck out in his second at-bat, the commentator said - "Brett has good discipline at the plate and before tonight's game he had only struck out sixteen times in one-hundred-and-thirty-six plate appearances ...... and he has now struck out in his first two trips today"
Email from Brett
Today was okay - just nice
to get one hit in late!!
Tired now too - never seem to get regular sleep - early games,
then late, etc
Game Reports
Sean Casey came through with a two-out, RBI
single in the top of the fifth inning and that run stood up as
the winner in a 3-1 Curve victory over the Erie SeaWolves Sunday
afternoon at Jerry Uht Park in Erie, PA
The Pirates' first baseman, who was playing in his third and final
game with Altoona, went 2-for-4 in the contest as the Curve's
designated hitter
Casey batted with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth and
slapped a fastball from Erie starter Humberto Sanchez into left
field to plate Brant Ust with the eventual winning run
He also blooped a single to left in his fourth at-bat of the day
in the top of the eighth
Casey, who went 3-for-11 with one home run, two RBI's and two
runs scored in his three-game injury rehab stint with the Curve,
will be re-evaluated and could be activated from the Pirates'
15-day Disabled List on Monday
The three-time National League All-Star was placed on the D.L.
on April 15th after suffering two fractures in his lower back
during the Pirates' April 14 game against Chicago at PNC Park
Meanwhile, Curve starting pitcher Mike Connolly tossed his second
gem in as many starts, allowing just one run on two hits over
seven innings to earn his fifth win of the season and his franchise-record
setting 25th in an Altoona uniform
Connolly (5-3), who outdueled top Tigers' pitching prospect and
Eastern League strikeout leader Sanchez for the victory, also
allowed just one run on two hits over seven innings in a win over
Bowie Tuesday night at Blair County Ballpark
The 23-year old left-hander moves past John Grabow and Brian O'Connor
on the club's all-time wins list and will set the franchise record
for most career games started when he take the mound for his next
scheduled start next weekend against New Hampshire at Blair County
Ballpark
Connolly turned the game over to reliever Brandon Knight in the
eighth inning and the 30-year old right-hander continued his dominance
of Eastern League hitters, recording two scoreless innings to
pick up his seventh save of the season
Knight extended his consecutive scoreless inning streak to 17-1/3
- just three innings shy of equaling Chris Spurling's club record
set during the 2002 season
Craig Stansberry knocked in the first Curve run in the top of
the second with the first of his two doubles on the afternoon
Milver Reyes provided a huge insurance run in the top of the ninth
inning with an RBI single that plated Stansberry
Simon Pond added three of Altoona's nine hits and extended his
team-high hitting streak to seven games
The Curve (32-18), who have won two of the first three games against
Erie, will look to earn a series victory as they take on the SeaWolves
in the final game of the four-game set Monday afternoon at Jerry
Uht Park
Right-hander Chris Rojas (0-0, 2.45) will take the mound for Altoona
against Erie righty Virgil Vasquez (3-4, 4.11)
First pitch is set for 1.05pm
Mike Connolly tossed seven strong innings to
lead visiting Altoona past Erie, 3-1, on Sunday
Connolly (5-3) allowed one run on two hits, striking out three
and walking one to pick up the victory and become the Curve's
all-time leader in wins with 25
Brandon Knight didn't allow a hit, struck out two and walked one
over two innings for his seventh save
Craig Stansberry went 2-for-4 with two doubles, driving in Simon
Pond with a double in the second inning for the Curve's first
run
Pond chipped in three hits to lead Altoona's nine-hit attack
Sean Casey went 2-for-4 in his third Major League rehab assignment
with Altoona (32-18)
His RBI single in the fifth inning snapped a 1-1 tie
Casey has been on the disabled list since April 15 after suffering
fractures in his lower back in a game against Chicago
Humberto Sanchez (5-3) was saddled with the loss, after allowing
two runs - one earned - on four hits over six innings
Sanchez, who entered the game as the Eastern League leader in
strikeouts, mowed down nine more and allowed four walks for Erie
(24-25)
Chris Maples, who homered twice and drove in five runs Saturday,
accounted for the SeaWolves' lone run with a single in the second
The Curve’s hitters couldn’t do much
against an Erie flamethrower who soon may find himself in the
big leagues, so Altoona left it to a proven major league hitter
to get the job done
Pirates first baseman Sean Casey hit a bases-loaded, go-ahead
single off dominant SeaWolves starter Humberto Sanchez to lead
the Curve to a 3-1 win Sunday at Jerry Uht Park
Casey started as Altoona’s designated hitter and went 2-for-4
in what was expected to be the final game of his rehab assignment
His back injury will be re-evaluated, and he should rejoin the
Pirates today
Casey went 3-for-11 (.273) with a home run and two RBIs during
his rehab stint
Sanchez (5-3), who leads the Eastern League with 77 strikeouts,
fanned nine batters in six innings
He allowed only two runs - one earned - but lost a fifth-inning
duel against Casey that eventually decided the game
Curve starter Mike Connolly (5-3) bettered Sanchez’s effort
in his second straight strong outing
Connolly limited the SeaWolves to a run on two hits in seven innings
to earn the win
The left-hander posted an identical line to beat Bowie on Tuesday
and has lowered his ERA from 5.01 to 4.07 in his last two starts
Connolly established a new franchise record with his 25th-career
win in a Curve uniform, and he moved into a tie for the EL-lead
with five victories this season
Craig Stansberry launched an RBI double off the right-center field
wall in the second inning to give Altoona a 1-0 lead
Erie tied it in the bottom of the inning on Chris Maples’
RBI single
Both pitchers then cruised until the fifth inning, when the Curve
loaded the bases against Sanchez off two walks and an error
With two outs, Casey sliced a pitch into left field to score the
game’s deciding run
Altoona added an insurance run in the ninth inning, and Brandon
Knight nailed down his seventh save with two innings of scoreless
relief
Despite another strong starting pitching performance
by Humberto Sanchez on Sunday, the SeaWolves fell to the Altoona
Curve 3-1
The Curve struck first in the top of the second inning
Simon Pond singled with one out and was brought in on a Craig
Stansberry double, putting Altoona up 1-0
The SeaWolves answered in the bottom of the second inning
Kody Kirkland was hit by a pitch to put a runner on first with
one out
With two outs in the inning, Chris Maples singled home Kirkland
tying the game at 1-1
The score remained the same until the top of the fifth inning
Brant Ust drew a one-out walk to put a runner on first
On the next play, Milver Reyes hit a ground ball to second that
Juan Francia threw passed Tony Giarratano at short, allowing both
runners to reach safely
The error by Francia would come back to haunt the SeaWolves when
later in the inning, Sean Casey singled home Ust with the bases
loaded, giving the Curve a 2-1 lead
Altoona would add one more in the top of the ninth and won the
game 3-1
Mike Connolly and Brandon Knight shut down SeaWolves hitters,
allowing one run off of just two hits
Sanchez went six innings in taking his third loss of the season
He struck out nine hitters in the game
Two of his three losses this season have come against Altoona