The Result
Baysox - 13 runs to 9

The Curve - Year-to-Date
70 won and 55 lost

The Ankle Injury

(Sunday 20th August 2006)----------Roneberg Recovering

All-Star outfielder Brett Roneberg, who has been out of action since last Saturday's game at New Britain with a sprained left ankle, underwent an MRI on Saturday and the results were negative

Roneberg participated in batting practice prior to Saturday's game against Harrisburg, his first on-field action since suffering the injury while taking a swing

"The big word he was looking for was if he went out on the field and did anything on it would he hurt it worse - the answer is no" said Curve manager Tim Leiper

Leiper anticipates having Roneberg available within the next few days, but the addition of Ryan Doumit prevents the need to rush the 27-year old Aussie back into the lineup
"He's got the luxury of a couple extra days with Doumit being here" said Leiper
"We have a good left-handed bat in the lineup with Doumit being a switch-hitter so that actually gives Roneberg a few extra days to heal"

Brett's Position and the Batting Order
Did Not Start
----------Recovering from injury
----------Refer to game on Saturday 12th August - click here

Entered the Game during the bottom of the seventh innings
Playing - Designated hitter
Batting - #6

At the end of the Game
2 hits from 2 at-bats - 2 x singles, 1 x run-driven-in, 1 x run scored

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Notes from the play-by play report
----------Andrew McCutchen flies out to center fielder Jeff Fiorentino
----------Ryan Doumit flies out to center fielder Jeff Fiorentino
----------Offensive Substitution - Pinch hitter Brett Roneberg replaces Neil Walker
----------Brett Roneberg singles on a fly ball to center fielder Jeff Fiorentino
----------David Parrish homers on a fly ball to left field
--------------------Brett Roneberg scores
----------Ray Sadler strikes out swinging
Second at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Notes from the play-by play report
----------Pitcher Change - James Hoey replaces Jason Pearson
----------Andrew McCutchen walks
----------Ryan Doumit doubles on a fly ball to right fielder Cory Keylor
--------------------Andrew McCutchen to third
----------Brett Roneberg singles on a line drive to right fielder Cory Keylor
--------------------Andrew McCutchen scores
--------------------Ryan Doumit to third
----------David Parrish out on a sacrifice fly to left fielder Peter Shier
--------------------Ryan Doumit scores
----------Ray Sadler grounds into a force out, catcher Raul Chavez to shortstop Rayner Bautista
--------------------Brett Roneberg out at second
--------------------Ray Sadler to first
----------Offensive Substitution - Pinch hitter Simon Pond replaces Brandon Chaves
----------Simon Pond pops out to third baseman Bryan Bass in foul territory

Heard during the Game

Email from Brett

Well, I will tell you all (as you know) that I played two days ago and got out
It hurt - but I couldn't say no to an at-bat!!
Then took a day off and then got in there today and went 2-for-2!!
It was a good feeling after being out for so long
It still hurts but I can get by for now
And as I don't know what my playing time is now I need to make the most of my at-bats!!
Only two more hits for 1000!!

Game Reports

The Bowie Baysox erupted Monday night at Blair County Ballpark, defeating the Curve 13-9 behind nineteen hits

The offensive output tied a season-high for the most runs allowed by Altoona pitching and was the most hits allowed by the Curve all year

The two teams combined for twenty-two runs and thirty-three hits in a game that featured only one scoreless inning

Despite the loss, the Curve’s magic number to clinch a playoff berth shrunk to ten games after the third-place Reading Phillies lost to New Hampshire

The Curve scored four times in their first at-bat, but watched the Baysox score nine unanswered runs over the next four innings to take a lead they would not surrender

Pirates’ catcher Ryan Doumit ripped a two-RBI double in the first inning to cap off a four-run effort for the Curve, and finished the game 3-for-5 with three runs scored

After scoring three times in the fourth frame to tie the game, Bowie added four more tallies in the fifth to go ahead for good

Nerio Rodriguez made his second start for the Curve and worked almost effortlessly through the first three innings before being roughed up in the fourth
The 35-year-old right-hander allowed one hit - a home run to Dustin Yount - to the first eleven opposing hitters of the game before surrendering six hits to the final ten batters he faced
Rodriguez suffered the loss after pitching 4-1/3 innings and giving up six runs on seven hits with five strikeouts

In the fifth frame, Dave Newhan tripled with one out and was chased home on a single by the next batter, Jeff Fiorentino
Chris Hernandez was then brought on to relieve Rodriguez, but allowed three straight hits, including a three-run homer to Raul Chavez before getting out of the inning

The Curve would draw to within three runs after Dave Parrish smashed a two-run home run in the seventh, but the Baysox would answer with three runs of their own in the top of the eighth frame to pull away

James Johnson started for Bowie and picked up his eleventh win of the year after scattering nine hits to allow five runs in five innings

Nyjer Morgan extended his hitting streak to eight games, picking up two singles in his first two at-bats

Andrew McCutchen bounced back from an 0-for-3 effort in Sunday’s game to go 2-for-4 with three runs scored

The Curve and Baysox play a doubleheader on Tuesday night beginning at 5.35pm
Jason Roach (6-5, 3.12) will start for Altoona against Bowie’s Eric DuBose in Game One, with Josh Shortslef (5-1, 4.69) starting the nightcap against Radhames Liz

Dawn Wells (“Mary Ann” of Gilligan's Island) will be at the ballpark presented by Best Event Rental as part the Retro Celebrity Series as the Curve celebrate Beach Party Night

It’s time to start thinking about the magic number, even if the Curve had anything but a magical night Monday

Altoona wasted a 4-0 first-inning lead against Bowie and gave up nineteen hits, one short of the franchise record
All nine Baysox starters smacked a hit as they dropped the Curve, 13-9, before 4,687 fans at Blair County Ballpark

“We came out the doors on fire and everything” Curve leadoff man Nyjer Morgan said
“Yeah, it’s a sour taste, but that’s why you play series in this game, and I think we’ll be fine Tuesday”

Reading lost its third straight game Monday, dropping the Curve’s magic number for a playoff berth to ten with fifteen games to go

It’s starting to look more and more likely Altoona will have to settle for second place in the Southern Division as it now trails Akron by seven games
The Curve will still have a shot to make up ground in a hurry, though, when they host the Aeros in a four-game series at Blair County Ballpark starting next Monday

“We just want to win as many games as we can” Curve manager Tim Leiper said after Monday’s loss, just the second of the season for Altoona when scoring at least nine runs
“It’s tough, but what are you gonna do?
We’re going to come back out here and do it”

The thirteen runs allowed matched a season high for the Curve pitching staff, which ranks second in the Eastern League in team ERA (3.47)
All thirteen runs were earned

“Hell, yeah” pitching coach Ray Searage said about his staff bouncing back from the tough outing
“They’re not going to fold, they’re not going to cave
They’ve gone this far, they’re battlers
I’ll back them 110 percent”

Nerio Rodriguez (0-1), making his second start since joining the Curve from Triple-A Indianapolis, gave up six runs in 4-1/3 innings to take the loss

Chris Hernandez and Matt Peterson each worked 2-1/3 innings and yielded four and three runs, respectively

The Curve scored nine runs and collected fourteen hits, but Leiper said the offense’s inability to make adjustments against Bowie starter James Johnson was the key

Altoona ripped Johnson for four runs on five hits and a walk to score four times in the first inning
Pirates catcher/first baseman Ryan Doumit, who went 3-for-5 in his second rehab game with the Curve, drilled a two-run double to center for a 3-0 lead and scored on Brandon Chaves’ single

Johnson (11-6) was tough after that, working around two singles in a scoreless second before retiring the side in order in the third and fourth

“The biggest part of the game is Johnson had to change the way he pitched, and we didn’t make the adjustments to the way he pitched” Leiper said
“That second time around the order, we knew exactly what he was going to do when he got into that situation, but we just chased a lot of breaking balls
Instead of putting them away, we allowed them the chance to stick in the game, which made it harder on our pitching”

Dustin Yount, son of Hall of Famer Robin, got Bowie on the board with a solo homer in the second inning

The Baysox then tied it with three runs in the fourth and took the lead for good with four in the fifth
Jeff Fiorentino tripled and scored on Cory Keylor’s single for a 5-4 Bowie lead
Hernandez relieved Rodriguez and gave up a single, followed by a three-run homer by Raul Chaves that made it 8-4

Bowie scored in five consecutive innings but didn’t put the Curve away until putting up three runs in the eighth

Dave Parrish’s two-run homer had brought Altoona within 10-7 in the seventh, but Rayner Bautista singled home two runners in the eighth to give the Baysox a 13-7 edge

Keylor went 4-for-5 with three runs and two RBIs for Bowie, while Yount and Fiorentino each added three hits
Chavez, Yount and Bautista had three RBIs apiece

In a rarity, the Curve had three catchers in the starting lineup
Parrish was behind the plate, with Doumit at first base and Neil Walker the designated hitter

Parrish had a sacrifice fly in the Curve’s two-run ninth to finish with three RBIs

Altoona lost despite getting hits from eight of its nine starters, the fifteenth time this season the club has accomplished that feat

The Curve bounced back from a 12-0 loss at New Britain nine days ago and swept a doubleheader at Connecticut the next day
The team has had a knack for that kind of resiliency all season and has a chance to prove it once again Tuesday with a doubleheader against Bowie

“I expect us to play good every day we walk onto the field” Leiper said
“We can be philosophical if we want here, but the bottom line is we’re going to come out, we know we’ve got to win games, and we’re going to play to win”

Dustin Yount and Raul Chavez homered while Cory Keylor had four hits as visiting Bowie outslugged Altoona, 13-9, on Monday

Yount went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs
He connected for his fifth homer in the second, belted an RBI single in the fourth and lifted a sacrifice fly in the eighth

The Baysox (60-66) never trailed, scoring four times in the fifth
Jeff Fiorentino belted an RBI single and Raul Chavez launched a three-run blast to give Bowie an 8-4 lead

Keylor finished 4-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBIs to raise his average to .289

Rayner Bautista chipped in two hits and three RBIs

Baysox starter Jim Johnson (11-6) surrendered five runs - four earned - on nine hits and one walk with five strikeouts in five innings

Curve starter Nerio Rodriguez (0-1) was charged with six runs on seven hits with five strikeouts in 4-1/3 frames

David Parrish led Altoona (70-55) with three RBIs, crushing a two-run shot in the seventh

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBIs as he continued his rehab assignment