Youman Earns Weekly Honors

Shane Youman, the left-handed starting pitcher for the Curve was named the Eastern League’s Pitcher of the Week for the week ending July 2nd
The 6’4”, 219 lb. hurler made a pair of starts for the Curve last week and was 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA
On June 25, the 26-year old limited Akron to one run on six hits while striking out one batter and walking one in six innings to earn a win at Canal Park last Monday
Youman, a native of New Iberia, Louisiana, also faced first-place Akron in his second start of the week on Sunday and was even more impressive, surrendering just three hits in seven shutout innings of work while recording four strikeouts and one walk in a no-decision at Blair County Ballpark
Youman, who is currently leading the league in ERA (1.46) and is tied for second in WHIP (0.96), was selected by the Pirates in the 43rd round of the June 2001 draft out of Louisiana State University
The left-hander began this season in Altoona after spending the entire 2005 campaign with the Curve, going 8-6 with a 3.92 ERA in his first season at the Double-A level
He made his Triple-A debut with the Indianapolis Indians on May 11 and worked one inning of relief before returning to the Curve the following night
He has allowed just two earned runs in his last 23-2/3 innings pitched
Youman marks the fourth Curve player to earn Eastern League honors this season
Adam Boeve was named the E.L.’s player of the month for April and both Vic Buttler and Mike Connolly earned weekly honors during the month of May

Player of the Week

Erie SeaWolves first baseman Kelly Hunt has earned the title of the E.L.’s Player of the Week for the week ending July 2nd
The 25-year old had an outstanding week for the SeaWolves, hitting .360 (9-for-25) with three doubles, five home runs, 10 RBI, six runs scored and a 1.080 slugging percentage in six games
Hunt, a native of Bowling Green, Ohio, had four multiple hit games last week, including a pair of multiple home run games
The 6-foot-5-inch, 240 lb. slugger was especially impressive in Erie’s 13-0 win against the Reading Phillies at FirstEnergy Stadium on Saturday, going 3-for-5 with three home runs, seven RBI and three runs scored
Kelly, who is currently ranked seventh in the league in home runs (12), was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 29th round of the June 2003 draft out of Bowling Green State University after batting .439 with nine homers and 61 RBI in 45 games for the Falcons

The Result
Curve - 10 runs to 0

The Curve - Year-to-Date
48 won and 33 lost

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

At the end of the Game
2 hits from 4 at-bats - single, double, 3 x runs-batted-in, 1 x run scored, 1 x strike out

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
(radio was stop/start - but I think this pitch sequence is right)
Runners at first and second base - one down
Called strike
Called strike - breaking ball
Foul ball - down the leftfield line
Foul ball - back to the screen - "and that was a good cut by Roneberg"
"Brett drives that ball into right-centrefield and the runner is rounding third base and comes in to score for the first run of the ball game ...... and the other runner advances to third base ...... and that is Roneberg's thirty-fifth run-driven-in for the season"
Single to centrefield - 1 x RBI
A following Curve batter hit the ball into the outfield and here is some of the commentator's call - "The runner from third base comes in to score and here comes Roneberg ...... he rounds third base and the throw is a good one to the plate but it's also a very good slide by Roneberg ...... from up here he looks to be safe, but is he in or out??? - and the umpire has called him out!!! ...... and here comes the Curve Manager Tim Leiper and both he and Roneberg are going ballistic!!! ...... Roneberg is having to be restrained!!! ...... but Batting Coach Brandon Moore is a big guy and he gets Roneberg out of there in a hurry!!! ...... was Roneberg tossed from the game???, because he was really hot!!!"
Second at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
(radio was stop/start - but I think this pitch sequence is right)
Runner at third base - two down
Ball
Called strike
Called strike
Foul ball - to the leftside
Ball - inside
Swing and a miss
Strike out
Third at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
The bases are loaded!!! - with none down!!!
Foul ball - "Roneberg hit that inside out but it's hooking foul down the leftfield line"
Ball
Ball
Called strike - on the outer half of the plate
"That is driven by Roneberg into the gap at left-centrefield for extra bases!!! ...... and one run comes in to score and here comes another one!!! ...... and the runner from first base is standing now at third base ...... it was 'heads up' baserunning by Brett as he slides into second base and gets his foot in on the bag just before the tag was made!!!"
Double to centrefield - 2 x RBI
Scored on another hit
Fourth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
"That pitch is bounced across the diamond and the second-baseman gathers it and throws to first base for the first out of the innings"
Ground out to second base - 4 to 3

Heard during the game

Email from Brett

About the play at home plate after my first at-bat
You never get thrown out on a tough close play unless you keep on yelling stupid things
It's like getting caught up in the moment and they give you a little leeway
Was fun though!!

Game Reports

The Altoona Curve created some fireworks of their own Monday night, as they defeated the first-place Akron Aeros, 10-0, at Blair County Ballpark

Led by left fielder Nyjer Morgan, who went 4-for-5 with two RBI’S, the Curve exploded for fourteen hits in the series finale

A grand total of 8,604 fans enjoyed the fireworks off and on the field Monday night
The crowd, the eighth largest ever at Blair County Ballpark, was treated to a special post-game fireworks show to celebrate Independance Day weekend and was the second 8,000-plus crowd in what was the third largest four-date series in Curve history

After waiting until the tenth inning to plate a run on Sunday night, the Curve wasted no time lighting up the scoreboard Monday night
Morgan led off the ballgame with a single to center and was driven in by designated hitter Brett Roneberg
Sunday’s hero Brian Bixler also scored in the inning courtesy of a Simon Pond double

The Curve completely broke open the game with an eight-run fifth inning
Bringing thirteen men to the plate, Altoona collected more hits in the frame than they had the entire previous night
Javier Guzman sparked the marathon with a leadoff double to right field
Following an infield single by Morgan, Bixler singled to right, plating Guzman
That only opened the floodgates as Vic Buttler, Roneberg, and Simon Pond all hit safely, driving in four runs collectively
In his second at-bat in the inning, Morgan doubled in two more runs to right, capping off the eight-run inning

Right-hander Landon Jacobsen (8-6) gave the Curve their second straight impressive start, allowing only two hits through seven innings, giving up only one walk while striking out three

In the past two nights, Curve pitchers have combined for two shutouts, allowing only five hits

Akron was held scoreless their last 20-1/3 innings against Altoona pitching

Akron starter Dan Denham (4-1) earned his first loss of the season in a way he’d rather forget
Through four innings, the right-hander allowed seven runs on eleven hits
Prior to Monday’s start, Denham had not allowed more than six hits in any start this season

Bubbie Buzachero did not fare much better in relief as he only lasted one inning, giving up three runs on three hits against a ravaging Curve offense

The Curve pack their bags and begin a seven-game road trip tomorrow evening against the Reading Phillies
The Curve will play three-games in Reading and four games in Erie before coming home on July 11th for the All-Star break
Right hander Ron Chiavacci will get the start for Altoona against Reading’s Zach Segovia

Game time is scheduled for 7.05pm

Landon Jacobsen allowed two hits over seven innings as Altoona blanked visiting Akron, 10-0, on Monday

Jacobsen (8-6) struck out three, walked one and finished strong with a 1-2-3 seventh inning, lowering his ERA to 3.02 over 80-1/3 frames this season

James Johnson tossed a perfect eighth and Blaine Neal gave up one hit in the ninth as the Curve (48-33) posted their second straight shutout

Brandon Knight and two relievers combined on an eight-hitter in Sunday's ten inning, 1-0 win over the Aeros (51-31)

The victory moved Altoona within 2-1/2 games of Eastern League Southern Division-leading Akron

Brett Roneberg and Simon Pond drove in three runs each and Nyjer Morgan went 4-for-5 with two RBIs for the Curve, who have won three of four

Dan Denham (4-1) took the loss after surrendering seven runs on eleven hits over four-plus innings
He fanned three and did not walk a batter

Altoona (Double-A, 48-33) won, 10-0, at home against Akron (Indians)

RHP Landon Jacobsen (8-6) allowed just two hits and a walk over seven innings

DH Brett Roneberg and 1B Simon Pond each had three RBI, and Pond had a 3-for-3 night

LF Nyjer Morgan was 4 for 5, driving in a pair

The win cuts Akron's lead over Altoona in the division to 3-1/2 games

The Curve said with their body language what they refused to say in words after Monday night’s game
The team streamed from its dugout and bullpen in celebration immediately after its emphatic 10-0 blowout of Akron at Blair County Ballpark, with many players jogging off the field afterward

Once in the clubhouse, though, players and manager alike cautioned against reading too much into the victory

“About seven or six days ago, I read in the papers that they were our nemesis and we couldn’t beat them” Altoona manager Tim Leiper said
“So you know, you can’t get caught up in that
It’s going to be an even series no matter what
Just because we got the better of them today, I don’t think anybody is fooled by the fact that they’re not a good team”

The Curve did not simply get the better of the Aeros Monday night, however
Altoona tore into the Akron pitchers for fourteen hits, while stifling its powerful lineup to just three hits

The Curve took three of four over the weekend from the Aeros and have now won five of their last six meetings
Altoona also closed to within 2-1/2 games of its first-place rival in the Southern Division standings
The Curve are closer to first place than they have been since June 10, setting up what will likely be a fascinating pennant race for the rest of the season

“You definitely want to win games against these guys” Altoona starter Landon Jacobsen said
“There’s a good chance it might be us against them in the end, and you want to put a little fear in their eyes at times and show them that you can go out there and beat them pretty bad”

Jacobsen (8-6) tossed seven magnificent innings of two-hit ball to earn the win before 8,604 fans
The right-hander walked one and struck out three
Jacobsen’s outing helped the Curve close out the series with 20-1/3 consecutive scoreless innings against the best-hitting team in the league

“He was the catalyst” Leiper said of his starter
“We knew he was on early and he made us a lot more relaxed, and he was the reason why we won that game tonight”

Altoona’s hitters also had a hand in deciding the game, of course
Seven of the nine starters tallied base hits and five different players registered RBIs

Simon Pond stole the show by batting 3-for-3 with three RBIs, while leadoff spark plug Nyjer Morgan finished with four hits

The Curve did most of their damage in the fifth inning, sending thirteen batters to the plate and turning a two-run game into a 10-0 laugher
They opened the frame with five straight hits off Akron starter Dan Denham (4-1), with Brett Roneberg knocking him out of the game with a two-run double that extended the Altoona lead to 5-0

Denham finished with a line of seven earned runs allowed on eleven hits in four-plus innings

“When you go to the plate every time and there’s runners on base, it makes it fun to hit” Roneberg said
“I mean, guys were on second and third with one out, no outs, bases loaded
It’s definitely easy to hit like that”

Bubbie Buzachero relieved Denham, but the Curve hitters swarmed all over him as well
Pond greeted Buzachero with a double that scored two more runs, and five batters later, Morgan capped the scoring with yet another two-run base hit

“It’s not enough to stop at three, five runs, whatever” Pond said
“You’ve got to try to basically go for the jugular and try to push as many runs across as you can, anytime you can
No room for compassion
We’re all professionals, trying to compete
Same as them, they’re trying to stomp on our throats”

Despite the convincing win, it appears Altoona will not rest on its laurels for very long

“It’s a win, but we’ve got to take care of business tomorrow” Leiper said
“We’ve got a lot more games with them, a lot more games
We’re going to be ready for them; they’re going to be ready for us”

Around the Curve
The Eastern League named Shane Youman Pitcher of the Week Monday
The left-hander started two games last week against Akron and went 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA
Youman held the Aeros to a lone run on nine hits in thirteen innings, striking out five and walking two in the process
He leads the league with a 1.46 ERA