The Week in Review

The Curve (45-30) went 4-3 over the past week and remain in second place in the Southern Division, three games behind Akron

Altoona spent the entire week on the road, playing four games in Pennsylvania’s capitol against the Harrisburg Senators and three games in Akron, OH against the Aeros

First baseman Simon Pond led the Curve offense on the road, batting .429 (12-28) and is currently enjoying a ten-game hit-streak

The Curve and the Senators split their four game series at two apiece
Altoona ran away with a 9-5 victory in the opener, stretching their winning streak at the time to six games
Simon Pond led the offense with a three RBI day, going two-for-five with two runs scored
After falling 5-4 in ten innings the following night, the Curve were right back to their winning ways on Thursday with a stifling 7-0, six inning shutout victory
Landon Jacobsen earned the complete game victory in his first game back with the Curve after being sent down from Indianapolis
The Curve would drop the series finale before making the 310 mile drive westward into Akron

Against Akron, the Curve dropped the series opener, but rebounded well to win the next two
Wardell Starling and two relievers combined on a three-hitter and Simon Pond and Craig Stansberry each homered as the Curve evened their three-game series against first-place Akron with a 3-0 shutout victory Sunday afternoon at Canal Park
With Blair County Ballpark in their sights, the Curve ended their seven-game road trip with a win in the rubber match on Monday night
Behind another great start from Shane Youman, Altoona wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard, plating three runs in their first at-bat

The Curve return home tonight to the friendly confines of Blair County Ballpark, where they hold the Eastern League’s best home record of 27-10
Conversely, Altoona is only 18-20 on the road

Jacobsen (7-5. 3.19) will get the start for Altoona on Monday, in the first of three games against the Bowie Baysox (32-41)
A spectacular fireworks show will follow Monday’s game

Simon Pond

Who's Hot

Curve first baseman Simon Pond extended his hitting streak to ten games on Monday and is batting .298 (77-for-258) with nineteen doubles, nine home runs and a team-leading fourty-eight RBIs
The streak began with a two-for-four day against Reading, all the way back on Friday, June 16th
Since the streak began, the 29-year-old has had six multi-hit games and has driven in nine runs
His average has steadily climbed from .274 over the past two weeks

Brett Roneberg

Just Get on Base

Outfielder Brett Roneberg and second baseman Craig Stansberry have both been a spending a lot of time on the bases lately, fulfilling every coaches dream
Currently holding seven and eleven game on-base-streaks respectively, they both are among the Curve leaders in on-base-percentage
Roneberg currently leads Altoona with a .369 OBP, which is among the top-ten in the Eastern League
Stansberry is not far behind, reaching base safely .342 percent of the time

Vic Buttler

Triple Threat

Center fielder Vic Buttler is completely blowing away anybody else in professional baseball with a team-record thirteen triples
Buttler hit his record three-bagger back on Friday, June 14th against Reading
Not only a threat to hit to the gaps, the California native hits very consistently which his current .322 average shows
Jose Reyes of the New York Mets, is the closest anyone is to Buttler on the leader board with a Major League high, ten triples

Tuesday's series opener between Curve and Bowie Baysox was postponed due to heavy rain and will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Tuesday, August 22nd at 5.35pm

Fans holding tickets to Friday’s game can exchange their rain checks for tickets of equal or lesser value to any remaining 2006 Altoona Curve regular season home game, based upon availability

Both managers will use the same arms that were scheduled to pitch in Tuesday's game on Wednesday night when the series will open at 7.05pm
Landon Jacobsen (7-5, 3.19) will take the mound for the Curve against Baysox right-hander James Johnson (6-3, 3.92

Ballpark gates open at 6.00pm

Sherman Hemsley will be on hand Wednesday as he continues the Curve’s Retro Celebrity Series
Hemsley played the famous character of “George Jefferson” on five different TV shows and will be at the ballpark throughout the game
Hemsley will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, meeting with fans and signing autographs

Wednesday is also Blair Candy Bingo Night, giving fans the chance to win fabulous prizes during the game

The Result
Baysox - 6 runs to 1

The Curve - Year-to-Date
45 won and 31 lost

Brett's Position and the Batting Order
Playing - Designated hitter
Batting - #4

At the end of the Game
0 hit from 3 at-bats - 1 x walk

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - two down
Ball - outside
"There's a ground ball to the Baysox shortstop and he collects the ball and throws to second base for the force and it's the final out of the innings"
Ground out to shortstop - 6 to 4 fielder's choice
Second at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Swing and a miss
Ball - away
Ball
Ball - breaking ball - slider - low and away
Foul ball - off the end of the bat
Foul ball - "that is hit down the line and stopped by the third-baseman just wide of the bag"
Foul ball - back and out of play
"That is hit in the air down the leftfield line and the fielder gets across and takes the catch in fair territory"
Fly out to leftfield - F7
Third at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Foul ball - "that is hit down the leftfield line and the fielder makes a sliding attempt in foul territory but can't come up with the catch"
Called strike - breaking ball
"There's a bouncing ball to second base and it's picked up and thrown to first base for the first out of the innings"
Ground out to second base - 4 to 3
Fourth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Ball - outside
Ball - downstairs
Ball - inside
Ball - low
Walk
Out at second base on a double play hit by a following Curve batter

Heard during the game

(#01) As Brett came in for his first at-bat, the commentator mentioned - "Brett Roneberg now steps in and he is another player who should be considered for the Eastern League All Star team which is announced tomorrow"

Email from Brett

Game Reports

The Altoona Curve dropped the series opener against the Bowie Baysox, 6-1, at Blair County Ballpark on Wednesday night

The Curve struggled offensively, only plating one run on five hits

After the two teams exchanged zeros on the board for the first three frames, the Baysox exploded over the middle innings, scoring all six runs in four consecutive innings

Landon Jacobsen started well for the Curve, but unraveled over the fifth and sixth innings, forcing his exit
The right hander allowed three earned runs in 5-2/3 innings of work, giving up seven hits while striking out one

After a three-day break due to rainouts, Bowie first baseman Leo Daigle started things off for the Baysox in the fourth inning, smashing a home run into the left field bleachers
Daigle has now homered in four consecutive games

The Baysox would add two more tallies in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh to seal the deal against the Curve

Craig Stansberry provided the majority of the offense for Altoona, driving in Brandon Chaves from second base with a two-out double to right-center field
Chaves had doubled a few pitches earlier, to almost the exact same spot

James Johnson picked up the win for Bowie (33-41), after pitching six dominant innings
Johnson allowed one run on five hits, while striking out three
It was his first win since June 8th

Simon Pond extended his hitting streak, pushing it to eleven with a single to left field in the fourth inning
His eleven-gamer is the third double-digit hitting streak of the season for a Curve batter
The first baseman finished 1-for-4 on the evening

Sherman Hemsley, better known for his role as “George Jefferson” on the hit shows 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons' was at the ballpark Wednesday night as the latest installment of the Curve’s Retro Celebrity Series
Hemsley met with fans, threw out the first pitch and sung the seventh innings stretch, much to the fans delight

Altoona and Bowie will continue their rain-shortened series tomorrow night at Blair County Ballpark
Ron Chiavacci (0-0, 3.44) will take the mound for the Curve against Baysox lefty Garrett Olson (0-0, 8.44)

Following Wednesday's game against Bowie at Blair County Ballpark, the Pirates' promoted Curve second baseman Craig Stansberry to Triple-A Indianapolis

The move came at a time in the season when Stansberry was starting to heat up at the plate
Over his last twelve games with the Curve, the 25-year-old hit .422 (19-for-45) to raise his season average to .258

He is currently leading the club with ten home runs and ranks among the league leaders in runs scored with fourty-six

With Stansberry being promoted, the Pirates are expected to give shortstop Javier Guzman significant time at second base with Lynchburg shortstop and Pirates' 2004 second round pick Brian Bixler expected to join the Curve sometime this week

James Johnson tossed six strong innings to lead visiting Bowie past Altoona, 6-1, on Wednesday

Johnson (7-3) allowed one run on five hits, struck out three and walked two
The right-hander won his second straight decision

Bryan Bass and Leo Daigle hit solo homers for the Baysox (33-41), while Raul Chavez and Rayner Bautista added two hits and two RBIs apiece

Noah Hall went 3-for-4 with two doubles and scored a run to round out Bowie's twelve hit attack

Landon Jacobsen (7-6) yielded five runs - four earned - on seven hits
The right-hander struck out one and walked two over 5-2/3 innings for the Curve (45-31)

Craig Stansberry led Altoona with two hits and drove in the Curve's only run with a double in the fifth

Curve second baseman Craig Stansberry made a terrific diving stop in short right field Wednesday night and threw out the Bowie runner at first base
Stansberry has made those kinds of plays all season, drawing rave reviews about his defense

But when he was hitting in the .220s, there wasn’t much reason to think he’d be headed to Triple-A soon

Once Stansberry got his offense going, however, the promotion was just a matter of time
That time came Wednesday when Stansberry was sent to Indianapolis following the Curve’s 6-1 loss to the Baysox before 5,060 fans at Blair County Ballpark

“He’s more of a complete player right now than when we sent him from Lynchburg to Altoona last year” Curve manager Tim Leiper said
“This is a great time for him to go up because he’s swinging the bat really, really well right now”

Stansberry has hit safely in eleven of his last twelve games, raising his average from .223 to .258

The team leader with ten home runs, he was 2-for-4 with an RBI in his final Curve game Wednesday night

Asked if he’s ready for Triple-A, the 24-year-old Stansberry was succinct
“Yeah” he said

The Curve now must be ready for life without Stansberry, and another roster shakeup
Shortstop Brian Bixler will join the team today from Single-A Lynchburg, as will outfielder Nyjer Morgan, who will play left field

The Curve’s everyday shortstop all season, Javier Guzman, will move over to second base full-time

Morgan was hitting .303 with no homers, 22 RBIs and 38 stolen bases in 49 attempts for Lynchburg
He’ll be Altoona’s new leadoff man

Bixler also was hitting .303 with five homers, 33 RBIs and 18 steals in 25 tries for the Hillcats
He’ll bat second for the Curve

Altoona’s offense has been stellar all season, and Leiper thinks the club can keep it going with the newcomers
“With Vic Buttler and Brett Roneberg and Simon Pond sitting behind those guys, that’s a pretty good top of the order” the manager said

The Pirates only recently started working with Guzman at second base, and now he’ll have to learn the position on the fly

“He’s a good enough athlete, he should be able to do it” Leiper said
“The biggest thing is he just has to slow down and realize he has a lot of extra time” - a luxury shortstops don’t have

Stansberry hit .238 in 116 games for the Curve last season but also smacked 18 homers with 67 RBIs
Add the three homers and 19 RBIs he had at Lynchburg, and that’s impressive power production for a second baseman

Stansberry says he never thought of himself as a home run hitter, but Leiper thinks the long ball success may have weighed on him at the plate
“I think he was kind of caught in between of what kind of player he needed to be, either a home run guy or an average guy” Leiper said
Stansberry countered by saying “a trap I get into at times is getting a little too excited at the plate and getting big”

He found his rhythm at the plate the past few weeks thanks to working with hitting coach Brandon Moore and noted “I was definitely just getting it going and really getting consistent at the plate”

Stansberry drove in Altoona’s lone run on a lackluster night Wednesday

Bowie scored a run in the fourth, two in the fifth and two more in the sixth to take control in an easy win

Curve starter Landon Jacobsen (7-6) gave up five runs - three earned - over 5-2/3 innings for the loss

James Johnson (7-3) allowed a run on five hits in six innings to win for the Baysox

While Wednesday was forgettable, Thursday figures to be quite memorable for several members of the Curve
Eastern League All-Stars will be announced at 2.00pm, and as many as five or six Altoona players figure to be selected

One lock is outfielder Vic Buttler, who leads all of baseball with thirteen triples and ranks second in the EL in hitting at .318
“It would be an honor” Buttler said of the selection, “especially this year with the All-Star Game here at Blair County Ballpark
It would be a dream come true, taking into consideration what happened to me last year coming up here and getting sent back to Hickory and coming back and just battling and trying to make the best for myself”

Another easy All-Star choice should be first baseman Simon Pond, who’s hitting .298 and is tied for third in the EL with 48 RBIs.
“I have no idea” Pond said when asked if he thinks he’ll make it
“I try not to draw any conclusions one way or another
If I were chosen, it would be great
If not, I’ve got two days where I’ll get to spend my time however I want to”

The Curve coaching staff will guide over the Southern Division All-Stars, with Leiper serving as manager
“We have a lot of deserving guys, and I’m sure we’ll be well represented” he said

Around the Curve
Curve reliever James Johnson worked a scoreless inning of relief Wednesday, his first appearance in seventeen days

A combination of Baysox starter James Johnson's second consecutive win and hot, timely hitting helped the Baysox beat the Altoona Curve for the first time this season with a 6-1 victory Wednesday evening at Blair County Ballpark

Johnson struck out three and allowed just one run in six strong innings as he improves to 7-3 on the year

In the fourth inning Leo Daigle continued his home run streak with a solo shot to left field
The first baseman has now homered in four straight games for the Baysox

In the fifth a throwing error allowed Raúl Chavez to reach second on a pickoff attempt and the former Major League catcher scored from third on a Gera Alvarez single to left field
Cory Keylor would later drive in Alvarez for a 3-0 lead

Chavez then helped out with the bat in the sixth, driving in Noah Hall from second on a single through the left side of the infield
Chavez then scored his second run of the game thanks to a Rayner Bautista single up the middle

The Baysox final run came in the top of the seventh as Bryan Bass led off the frame with a solo shot to right field, his first as a member of the Baysox

Bowie entered the game batting just .228 off Altoona this season, while the Curve had crushed Baysox pitching with a .341 clip of their own

Bowie pounded out twelve hits off Curve starter Landon Jacobsen, who gave up five runs - four earned - on seven hits, and his bullpen

The Baysox, who are playing extremely well as of late, improved their record to 33-41

On Deck
The Baysox and Curve will meet Thursday night in the final game of their rain shortened series
Tuesday's game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on August 22nd starting at 5.35pm in Altoona, PA