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Next stop

Tonight: Binghamton at Altoona, 7:05 p.m.

Pitchers: Curve LHP Daniel Moskos (7-8, 3.90) vs. B-Mets LHP Eric Niesen (1-5, 7.36)

Record: 41-63

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Curve second baseman Jim Negrych underwent surgery Tuesday for internal injuries and will miss the rest of the season, the result of a collision during Monday night's game at Blair County Ballpark.

Negrych is recuperating at Altoona Hospital following surgery for a hematoma and what the Pirates would only describe as "internal issues." The organization, following HIPAA guidelines protecting a person's medical information, did not reveal many specifics about Negrych.

"We are encouraged about his health, and that's ultimately what matters," Bucs farm director Kyle Stark said.

One source did reveal Negrych will miss the remainder of the season.

The injury is not expected to be career threatening.

"We sent him to the hospital to get checked out [Monday] night," Stark said. "They found some internal issues, a hematoma, and decided that they needed to operate."

A hematoma is defined as a mass of blood, usually clotted, that forms in a tissue, organ or body space.

Negrych is the first Curve player ever to require surgery immediately after suffering an on-field injury. Others have had various procedures several days after getting injured.

Negrych's teammates beat Binghamton, 5-2, Tuesday at Blair County Ballpark, and he wasn't far from their thoughts. His No. 2 jersey was in the dugout during the game, right behind the coaches.

"He's certainly going to be missed, and we're hoping that he has a quick recovery," Curve manager Matt Walbeck said.

Several of his teammates visited Negrych in the hospital Tuesday morning.

"He seemed in good spirits," shortstop Brian Friday said.

Friday and Negrych were involved in the scary collision in the ninth inning of Monday night's game.

Binghamton had a runner on second base in a 5-5 tie, and Jose Coronado hit a bouncer up the middle. Negrych and Friday both made a play on the ball, each giving up their bodies with a sliding effort.

They barreled into one another, and Friday's knee hit Negrych in the abdomen.

"We both were going for the ball, trying to keep it in the infield," Friday said. "That was the game as far as we were concerned right there, ninth inning, tight game."

Friday, from his back, threw the ball toward the plate trying, unsuccessfully, to stop Mark Kiger from scoring the go-ahead run.

Friday and Negrych remained on the ground for a couple of minutes as teammates, coaches and trainer Thomas Pribyl converged.

"That last split second, we both knew there was going to be a collision," Friday said. "I don't think we thought it would be that bad."

Friday stood up first and started walking around, while Negrych took a minute longer.

Negrych tried to walk off the pain and remained in the game at second base for the remainder of the half inning. He then came up to bat in the bottom of the ninth and grounded out to second after the Curve had tied the score at 6.

Negrych was lifted when his team took the field for the 10th inning. A few minutes after the game, a call went out for an ambulance to come to Blair County Ballpark to treat a player who had abdominal injuries and was vomiting.

Negrych was listening to Tuesday night's game on the radio and sent a text message to the Curve PR staff. The franchise released a statement after the game that included Negrych's thoughts about the fan support he has received in his season and a half with the Curve.

"The people in Altoona have been unbelievable towards me, and I'm very grateful of them," Negrych said in the statement.

The 24-year-old Buffalo native and University of Pittsburgh product is in his fourth professional season. He was batting .272 with three home runs and 30 RBIs in 93 games for Altoona.

"It's a big loss," Walbeck said. "He was a great hitter at the top of our order, he was a great teammate, he leads by example."

The Curve put together a solid offensive attack Tuesday night to win, led by Pedro Alvarez's two RBI doubles off the center field wall.

In a strange twist, Friday also had a big night with a pair of hits and two RBIs. He and Negrych both could have been seriously injured in their collision Monday, but while one player was hospitalized, the other was much more fortunate.

"It just happened that he got the short end of the stick, my knee happened to go into him instead of vice versa," Friday said. "It's really unfortunate for him. That's a tough break."

Game recap

Key player: 3B Pedro Alvarez was 2-for-3 with two RBI doubles, and RHP Derek Hankins (3-3) allowed just two runs on four hits in six innings for the Curve.

Key play: Miles Durham's RBI double in the first scored Alvarez to put Altoona on top to stay.

Key stat: The Curve are 14-12 in July and are seeking their first winning month of the season.