Not much changes for the Curve after the seventh inning.
So far this season, the Curve are 20-1 when leading a game after seven innings, but they're also 0-21 when trailing after the seventh. And that's where they were on Wednesday.
Altoona fell to Richmond, 5-4, before 4,268 fans at Peoples Natural Gas Field on "What if Wednesday" with the team wearing teal Lake Monsters jerseys.
The Curve had their chance to take the lead in the eighth inning thanks to a Matt Curry double and a Jarek Cunningham walk. But Brett Bochy - who entered the game with a 1.52 ERA and a .141 opponents' batting average - recorded two strikeouts to escape the jam, and also had a perfect ninth to earn his sixth save.
"You wish there was one thing you could put your finger on," Curve manager P.J Forbes said of the 0-21 stat. "I can imagine part of it is trying too hard instead of letting the game come to you. It's why we're here, to learn to hit in those situations, and for me, the more opportunities we have in those situations, the better we're going to get."
Curry had the best night of any Curve batter, going 3-for-4 with three doubles and an RBI. But Curry was forced to leave the game in the eighth inning as his right hamstring cramped up on him while he was legging out a double.
Fact Box
Next stop
Tonight: Richmond at Altoona, 6:30 p.m.
Pitchers: Curve RHP Tim Alderson (3-1, 2.20) vs. Flying Squirrels RHP Andy Reichard (0-2, 6.00)
Record: 23-28
After the game, Curry said the injury wasn't anything too serious, and Forbes called him day-to-day.
"Me and P.J. were talking and he didn't want me rounding third and having it cramp up on me again," Curry said. "He took me out for precaution, and knew I was going to be a tying run if we got a hit."
Altoona gave starter Shairon Martis a cushion to work with, scoring three runs in the first, but the right-hander couldn't make the lead stick.
Martis (3-1) allowed five runs - all earned - on five hits, while striking out two and walking two in six innings. Craig Westcott went 5 1/3 innings and got the win despite giving up four runs.
SUBHD: Game recap
Key player: Richmond C Ryan Cavan was 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
Key play: With the Curve down 5-4 in the eighth, 3B Jeremy Farrell and RF Miles Durham both struck out with the tying run at third base.
Key stat: The Curve are 0-21 this season when trailing after the seventh inning.
SUBHD: How they scored
Bottom 1st: Holt singled, scored on Curry double (1-0); Cunningham two-run homer scored Curry (3-0).
Top 2nd: Perez reached on fielder's choice, Dominguez walked, both scored on Cavan double (3-2).
Top 5th: Monell singled, scored on Cavan triple (3-3); Westcott single scored Cavan (3-4).
Top 6th: Perez solo homer (3-5).
Bottom 6th: Curry doubled, scored on Durham sacrifice fly (4-5).
