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Tonight: Akron at Altoona, 6 p.m.
Pitchers: Akron (TBA) vs. Curve RHP Drake Fellows (2-0)
Radio: WRTA-FM 98.5
By Jarrod Prugar
For the Mirror
The first half of the 2024 slate for the Altoona Curve could be summed up simply as a quote by author Charles Dickens.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."
A franchise-record 15-game losing streak from late April into May provided the worst of times to the extreme for a Curve team boasting what some considered the best rotation in the Pirates' organization.
Losses mounted and piled up early in the season, making it impossible to overcome the deficit in the standings to earn a playoff spot after the first half of the season.
But then this happened. Altoona went 13-3 in its last 16 games to finish out the first half of the schedule as it heads home to open a series tonight with Akron.
Those wins have come in a multitude of different ways, including extra innings, shutouts and high-scoring affairs.
While righty Braxton Ashcraft might now be with Triple-A Indianapolis, Thomas Harrington has filled his shoes mightily after beginning the year on the Injured List.
The pitching staff has settled in nicely, anchored now by Bubba Chandler who was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week on Monday for his work against Bowie last week. Chandler tossed seven scoreless innings, striking out a career-high 10 hitters and set down 16 straight hitters at one point.
Chandler was sidelined with a forearm injury and returned May 29. Since then, he is 2-2 with a 2.78 ERA over 22 innings of work while amassing 27 strikeouts.
Getting solid starting pitching will go a long way for the Curve in the second half of the season and, the second half is when Chandler shined last year in High-A Greensboro ahead of his promotion to Altoona late in the season.
Coupling Chandler's performance with the solid outings Harrington continues to put on as well as the ever steady Sean Sullivan, the Curve rotation is as strong as it has been all season even without Ashcraft.
On the offensive side, Altoona has begun to find its hitting stroke, and the reinforcement has already arrived in the form of utility player Charles McAdoo.
McAdoo slashed .336/.415/.561 with nine home runs and 52 RBI for the Grasshoppers in their first 60 games. He joined the Curve in Bowie over the weekend and acclimated himself to Double-A right away with a double and home run in his first game.
With the addition of McAdoo to complement an offense led by Kervin Pichardo and Yoyner Fajardo to name a few, it seems as though the worst of times for the offense are in the rearview mirror.
Even more reinforcements could be en route to Altoona should infielder Termarr Johnson get a promotion. He's currently hitting .273 in the month of June for Greensboro.
What's good for the Curve heading into the second half of the season … it looks as though the best of times for Altoona seem to be on the horizon. There are 69 games left to prove the first half of the season was merely a fluke.
Jarrod Prugar covers the Curve for the Altoona Mirror during the baseball season.