Altoona Curve

Curve hope to put losing skid behind them

Next stop

Today: Somerset at Altoona, 11 a.m.

Pitchers: Patriots RHP Bailey Dees vs. Curve RHP Sean Sullivan

Radio: HANK-FM 96.1

By Jarrod Prugar

For the Mirror

​At long last the Altoona Curve's 15-game losing skid came to a merciful end with a 6-2 win over Harrisburg Sunday afternoon.

The streak spanned three series and locations and included the first six-game sweep in franchise history. It also tied the the longest streak in the Eastern League since 2005.

At 6-21, the Curve are off to as horrid a start as ever in franchise history and have now lost 18 of their past 22 games. Losses came in all different ways including three shutouts, but lost by no more than five runs in any of the games.

In fact, 10 of the 15 losses came by two runs or less, four games by four runs and one game by five.

The good news for the Curve is they return to PNG Field this morning to take on Somerset for six games as they look to start a brand new streak.

Altoona was never truly out of many of the games, but found out the hard way there are multiple ways to lose a ball game and in tremendous fashion to boot.

It was a collision in the outfield during a tie game in the top of the ninth inning which allowed the runner on first to score easily that took them down in the series finale against Akron for the ninth loss in a row.

It was getting doubled up in back to back games Friday and Saturday when trailing by two in the ninth inning that earned losses 14 and 15 in the streak.

By no means are the Curve out of the darkness of the dismal start to their season. They've scored a league-low 94 runs behind only Richmond with 96.

Despite the many close games and not allowing more than eight runs during streak, they've given up 144 runs. Only Reading with 157 runs against them falls behind Altoona.

The Curve are currently 12 games behind Southwestern Division-leading Akron in the standings and are six games back of fifth-place Richmond.

Plenty of work needs to be done for an Altoona offense that is last in the Eastern League in home runs with 16.