The Result
Senators - 5 runs to 2

The Curve - Year-to-Date
72 won and 59 lost

Brett's Position and the Batting Order
Playing - First base
Batting - #4

At the end of the Game
2 hits from 5 at-bats - 2 x singles, 1 x run-driven-in, 1 x grounded-into-double-play

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Runners at first and second base - one down
"There's a ground ball right at the shortstop who fields and flips on to second base and the relay to first base is in time for the inning ending double play"
Ground out to shortstop and into a double play - 6 to 4 to 3
Second at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Runners at first and second base - one down
Ball - low
Ball - outside
Called strike - right on the outside corner
Swing and a miss
Ball - outside
Foul ball - wide of first base
"Roneberg hits that well but right at the Senators first-baseman and it should be two ...... the throw goes to second base for one and the relay to first is not in time!!! ...... the pitcher was there to cover but he couldn't find the base to make the play!!! ...... the runner from second base advances to third base and Roneberg is safe at first base on the fielder's choice"
Ground out to first base - safe at first base on a '3 to 6' fielder's choice play
Left stranded at the end of the innings
Third at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - one down
"The runner is picked off!!! ...... and it is now two down"
Called strike
"Roneberg hits this off the handle of the bat and it goes to the first-baseman who fields and throws on to the pitcher covering the bag for the final out of the innings"
Ground out to first base - 3 to 1
Fourth at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Runners at first and second base - two down
Ball - way outside
Ball - outside
Foul ball - just wide of first base
Called strike - "and Brett doesn't agree with that call and steps out of the box shaking his head"
"There's a base hit into leftfield!!! ...... and the runner from second base is rounding third base and heading home!!! ...... and he scores!!! ...... Roneberg comes through with a hit and the Curve now trail by just one run with the score at '3-2'!!! ...... and there are now runners at first and second base with two down"
Single to leftfield - 1 x RBI
Advanced to second base on a walk to the next Curve batter
Left stranded at the end of the innings

Fifth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Bases empty - two down
Called strike
Ball - low and inside
"That's a base hit into rightfield and the Curve have a two out baserunner ...... and Brett now has two hits on the night"
Single to rightfield
Left stranded at the end of the innings

Heard during the Game

(#01) As Brett came in for his first at-bat, the commentator mentioned - "It's good to see Brett Roneberg back in the lineup tonight"
He then continued - "Brett comes in to the game with a batting average of 0.296 which is tied for sixth position in the Eastern League"

(#02) During Brett's second at-bat, the commentator said - "Brett is still nursing a sprained ankle ...... he is playing in the field tonight for the first time since Wednesday 9th August"

(#03) After Brett's RBI-single in his fourth at-bat, the commentator said - "That is Brett's sixty-seventh run-driven-in for the season and he was tied for eighth in the 'Top-10' in the Eastern League in that category coming in to tonight's game"
He continued - "Brett has now driven in nineteen runs in his last nineteen games"

Email from Brett

I may be playing today
Not entirely sure just yet but I honestly hope that I don't
I need just a little longer I think to make sure I am healthy for the playoffs and then winterball
Tune in - as you never know!!

It was good to get "that hit" finally!!
And then to get another one as well
I hit the first two balls hard - but straight at guys and was a little frustrated!! - but it finished good
I am not sure what's happening tomorrow so you will just have to tune in
The foot did feel good today as well so that's good news

The 1000th Hit!!!
Yes, I did get the ball - it will be coming home with me!!
A couple of coaches knew about it and they said congratulations
And two or three players heard but not a lot of people did which is how I wanted it - nothing big!!
It was nice to get and I felt a lot of relief after getting it too
It's been a long, long time coming!!

Game Reports

Harrisburg center fielder Frank Diaz clubbed a go-ahead, two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning and the Senators never trailed again in a 5-2 win over the Curve Saturday night at Commerce Bank Park in Harrisburg

Despite the loss, Altoona (72-59) had its magic number to officially clinch an Eastern League playoff berth reduced to five thanks to third-place Reading’s loss at Connecticut Saturday evening

The Curve, who have lost six of their last eight games, continue to hold a five-game lead over Reading in the race for the wild-card spot in the E.L. South

The key home run by Diaz was hit off Curve starter Nerio Rodriguez (0-2), who lost for the second time in three starts since being added to the roster on August 14th
The 35-year old right-hander was charged with three runs on four hits in 5-2/3 innings of work
He walked three and struck out six

Senators’ starter Matt Chico (2-0) defeated Altoona for the second straight start, limiting the Curve offense to one run and six hits over six innings

The Curve scored their first run in the top of the third, when Brandon Chaves scored Nyjer Morgan with a single to center

Altoona missed a chance to re-take the lead in the seventh after Brett Roneberg brought the Curve back within one run at 3-2 on an RBI single
With the bases loaded and two outs, Harrisburg reliever Jason Norderum, who walked three batters in the frame, struck out Ray Sadler for the final out

Overall, the Curve left twelve runners on base, increasing their three-game series total to thirty-five

The Senators added two insurance tallies in the eighth against left-hander Dave Davidson before Harrisburg righty Zechery Zinicola closed out the game with a scoreless ninth to earn his third save

Chaves, Roneberg and Dave Parrish each contributed two hits in the loss

Andrew McCutchen walked in the third inning to extend his current team-high on-base streak to twelve games

Altoona will look to settle for a series split with Harrisburg, as the club’s will conclude their twenty-three game season series Sunday afternoon at 1.05pm
The Curve will send lefty Josh Shortslef (5-1, 4.53) to the mound for his second start since coming off the Disabled List
The Senators will counter with right-hander Garrett Mock (0-3, 12.66)

Frank Diaz homered and Prentice Redman scored a pair of runs as Harrisburg beat Altoona, 5-2, on Saturday at Commerce Bank Ballpark

After Redman singled with two outs in the fourth inning, Diaz hit his ninth homer to give the Senators (61-71) a 2-1 edge

Redman, who went 2-for-3 with a walk, scored again when Richard Lane grounded into a forceout in the eighth

Kory Casto singled with one out in the sixth and scored on Cristian Guerrero's base hit to right field, giving Harrisburg a 3-1 lead

Starter Matt Chico (2-0) gave up one run on six hits and three walks while striking out one over six innings for the win

Zechry Zinicola tossed a scoreless ninth for his third save

Brandon Chaves went 2-for-3 with an RBI, two walks and a stolen base for the Curve (72-59)

Nerio Rodriguez (0-2) took the loss after he was charged with three runs on four hits and three walks over 5-2/3 innings

Despite losing for the sixth time in its last eight games, Altoona's magic number for clinching the Eastern League Wild Card was reduced to five after Connecticut defeated Reading

In front of over 6,000 fans for the second straight night, the Senators beat Altoona 5-2

The Senators have taken two of the first three games of the final home series of the season

Matt Chico (2-0) started and went the first six innings, allowing nine baserunners (six hits and three walks) but was able to consistently pitch out of trouble and only allowed a single run

The Senators were hitless until the fourth inning when with two outs Prentice Redman dropped in a single to left field
Frank Diaz followed with a mammoth home run to left to give the Sens a 2-1 lead

They extended the lead in the sixth to 3-1 when Cristian Guerrero rolled a single to right scoring Kory Casto

Altoona scored a run in the seventh off of Jason Norderum, but the Sens came up with two in the eighth to provide the insurance needed for the win

Zechry Zinicola pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his third save of the season with the Senators

The Senators have now won four of their past seven games

The final game of the series and homestand, not to mention the final home game of the 2006 season for the Senators, is Sunday afternoon at 1.05pm
The game can be heard on 1460 The Ticket and through the Senators website beginning at 12.50pm

The Curve offense has picked a bad time of the year to start slumping

Harrisburg has the Eastern League’s worst pitching staff, with a team ERA close to half a run higher than any other club
However, in three games during this weekend series, the Curve have scored a total of seven runs

Altoona left twelve runners on base Saturday night in a 5-2 loss to the Senators at Commerce Bank Park

The Curve got some help, though, in their playoff quest as their magic number dropped to five thanks to Connecticut’s win over Reading

A lack of clutch hitting has hampered the Curve as they’ve lost two of three in the series with the Senators
Altoona’s hitters have gone just 4-for-33 with runners in scoring position, while the club has stranded thirty-five runners in the three games

Brandon Chaves delivered a clutch hit for the second straight night to give the Curve a 1-0 lead
Chaves, whose two-run single spearheaded a 3-1 win Friday, drove home Nyjer Morgan with a single in the third inning

Harrisburg answered in the fourth, however, when Frank Diaz belted a two-run homer off Curve starter Nerio Rodriguez (0-2)

Altoona loaded the bases with one out in the sixth but came up empty as Taber Lee grounded into a double play

The Senators made it 3-1 in their half of the inning on Cristian Guerrero’s RBI single

Brett Roneberg singled home Brian Bixler in the seventh to pull the Curve within 3-2
Altoona went on to load the bases with two outs, but Senators reliever Jason Norderum struck out Ray Sadler to end the threat

Harrisburg scored two insurance runs in the eighth to make it 5-2

Senators starter Matt Chico (2-0) allowed one run in six innings for the win, and Zechry Zinicola worked the ninth for his third save

Altoona (Double-A, 71-59) lost, 5-2, at Harrisburg (Nationals)

First baseman Brett Roneberg went 2 for 5 with an RBI

Center fielder Andrew McCutchen went 0 for 4

Right-hander Nerio Rodriguez (0-2) allowed three runs in 5-2/3 innings

From drab beginnings last night sprouted an exciting Eastern League baseball game

And for the Harrisburg Senators, who nudged aside the Altoona Curve 5-2 in front of 6,056 fans at Commerce Bank Park, everything changed on one mighty Frank Diaz swing with two outs in the fourth inning

Mired in a bit of a lull and trailing 1-0, the Senators (61-71) found the spark in the home half of the fourth against previously cruising right-hander Nerio Rodriguez
Prentice Redman lined Harrisburg's first hit of the game into left field before Diaz launched a fastball far above the wall in left-center field for his ninth homer and a 2-1 advantage

The entire team seemed to feed off the blast

"That kind of woke us up" Senators hitting coach Mike Hart said
"We weren't getting anything going offensively, and Diaz picked us up with that homer"

Among those "picked up" was Senators lefty Matt Chico, who allowed only one run through the first four innings despite issuing three walks, four hits and a wild pitch
He showcased his best stuff over the fifth and sixth innings, breezing through the Curve (72-59) lineup

"It just kind of seemed like everything was out of whack" said Chico (2-0), who scattered six hits in six innings, allowing just one third-inning run
"My fastball was bad, and I had to rely on the off-speed stuff to get outs
My command was horrible"

OK, so Chico doesn't necessarily ooze optimism, as most pitchers are their own toughest critics
But Hart was impressed
"His command was a little off, and he was getting behind guys" Hart said
"But that's the best life I've seen on his fastball so far"

Getting through the sixth inning was a big key for Chico and the Senators, as the bullpen threw twelve innings over the previous two games and needed as much rest as it could get

Lefty Jason Norderum, who arrived yesterday from Class AAA New Orleans, allowed one run over the seventh and eighth innings
He survived three walks and two hits during his stint in part because he whiffed four batters

"We had only two guys available in the bullpen - Norderum and Zechry Zinicola" Hart said
"We needed Norderum to step up, and he did"

Zinicola then pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save

Meanwhile, the Senators offense made the most of its opportunities
It added another run off Rodriguez (0-2), a 35-year-old journeyman right-hander, in the sixth inning on Cristian Guerrero's two-out RBI single
Then in the eighth against reliever Dave Davidson, Guerrero walked with the bases loaded, and Rich Lane drove home another run with a fielder's choice as the hosts extended the lead to 5-2

It started slowly, but thanks to Diaz - who also walked three times, showing an improved plate discipline - Harrisburg found its life and has a chance to win its last home series of the season if it beats the Curve at 1.05pm Sunday

Notes
Senators SS Seth Bynum (broken hand) was placed on the disabled list yesterday; infielder Trey Webb was promoted from Class A Potomac to take his roster spot
1B Josh Whitesell, out since Wednesday with a thumb injury, said he's improving and is day-to-day
The Senators' director of transportation, a.k.a. team bus driver Art Mattingly, coached first base for two innings yesterday
In attendance yesterday: Dr. Eric Chotiner, an eye doctor from Harrisburg - as an 11-year-old in 1987, Chotiner was officially the Senators' very first fan to walk through the gates of the new stadium