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Altoona Curve

Curve rough up Phils’ top prospect

2 min read

From Mirror reports

Nick Gonzales and Henry Davis both launched home runs off Phillies top prospect Andrew Painter in the first inning as Altoona defeated Reading, 5-1, on Friday night at PNG Field.

Entering the game, Painter had been statistically one of the best pitchers in Minor League Baseball. The 19-year-old had a 1.17 ERA in 99-plus innings of worked pitched across 21 starts between Single-A and Double-A. Altoona scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning to jump out to the early lead.

After a strikeout to open the frame, Painter got two strikes on Gonzales before he crushed his seventh home run of the season to left field. After getting Endy Rodriguez to fly out in the next at-bat, Matt Gorski extended the inning with an infield single. He advanced to third on a pickoff throwing error by Painter before Malcom Nunez knocked an RBI single to left to make it a 2-0 game.

On the next pitch thrown, Davis hit his fourth home run with Altoona -- and second of the series -- on a two-run shot to left. It was the first time in Painter's career that he allowed multiple home runs on one outing and just his fourth and fifth home runs allowed on the season.

Nunez added a second RBI single in the third inning off Painter, scoring Gorski who hit a two-out double. Painter finished the night allowing seven hits in four innings with five strikeouts.

Carmen Mlodzinski tossed five scoreless innings with just four hits allowed with one walk and four strikeouts in his final start of the season for Altoona.

Domingo Gonzalez made his Double-A debut with three innings of relief, allowing one run in the eighth inning on an RBI triple to Jhailyn Ortiz. Gonzalez struck out four batters and walked three. Tyler Samaniego worked a scoreless ninth to end the game.

Altoona continues its series with Reading Saturday at 6 p.m. The Curve will send righty Aaron Shortridge to the mound, while Reading has their own right-hander, Mick Abel, scheduled to start.

Starting at /week.