Curve unable to hold on to late lead in loss
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By Matt Michelone
For the Mirror
Friday night's game between the Altoona Curve and Portland showed just how crazy of a sport baseball can be sometimes.
For the first seven innings, the 5,164 fans at Peoples Natural Gas Field were treated to a pitcher's duel.
Once the bottom of the eighth inning arrived with two outs, the Curve all of a sudden exploded for six runs -- including back-to-back home runs -- only to see it erased by the Sea Dogs in the top of the ninth.
In the top of the 10th, it was Tyler Miller knocking in the ghost runner, Eddinson Paulino, for the game-winning run as Portland survived a close one against the Curve, 8-6.
"To start the game I thought both pitchers did extremely well, they were really efficient," Curve catching coordinator Taylor Davis said. "The offense took over a little bit, a couple of mistake pitches here and there. Overall I thought both teams played as well as they could and it just didn't turn out in our favor."
How it got to extras
Jase Bowen got the Curve rally in the eighth started thanks to an RBI-single on a grounder to center field with two outs. That was later capped off by a grand slam by Joe Perez towards the scoreboard before Carter Bins added a solo shot just inside the left field foul pole all with two outs.
The Sea Dogs wiped all of that out as Kyle Teel smacked a three-run shot to right-center field to the game at six.
"I think we're taking victories wherever we can get them," Davis said. "That's the definition of baseball as it is. The hardest thing to do in this sport is to create victories. Wherever you can find them, it's super important to find. The (Portland) starter comes out, and we did a really nice job with some very good arms. This Portland team overall has some really good arms."
On his game
Curve starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft went six innings giving up one run on three hits, with seven strikeouts and a walk on 84 pitches - 60 strikes.
"The stuff is there; He's a big kid with big stuff," Davis said. "If he can continue to locate it and do what he wants with it, it has a chance to be a really good arm.
"Even just this year seeing him mature from the beginning of the year until now. He's turning himself into a really quality pitcher and I think there's a chance that the future is very bright."
Ashcraft has struck out seven batters or more in three outings this month including a season-high 10 on May 14 at Akron.
Redemption day
The Sea Dogs' Hunter Dobbins kept the Curve bats silent going seven innings giving up three hits and recording seven strikeouts.
"He had a really good tempo," Davis said. "Worked fast, and made some pitches when he needed to and seemed to have a little bit of everything working."
The Sea Dog right-hander bounced back nicely after a quick outing on May 25 against Hartford when he went 1 2/3 innings giving up five runs on five hits and recording five walks and a strikeout.
Temporary identity
The Curve took to the field Friday by the alternate identity of the Malmo Oat Milkers. This was because of a sponsorship by Oatly. All 120 teams from Class A to AAA across Minor League Baseball are rebranding by the temporary name for one game.
The weekend
Beginning Saturday, the Curve's start time will switch to 6 p.m. as Po-Yu Chen will take to the mound for this evening's contest against the Sea Dogs.
For Sunday's 1 p.m. matinee against Portland, it will be Drake Fellows getting the start. Fellows has earned a 1.59 ERA giving up three earned runs in 17 innings pitched in his five outings -- two starts -- and has recorded 18 strikeouts.