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The Altoona Curve lost 3-0 to the Erie Seawolves Tuesday night in front of 3,525 fans at PNG Field.
It marked the fifth shutout loss in seven games for the Curve who were blanked in four games against New Hampshire last week.
"We have hit some balls hard, but, you know, we've been able to get some things going, but just haven't for others," Altoona manager Andy Fox said. "The consistency is not there."
Finding that consistency at this juncture of the season is far from an easy task, but it's not a daunting one if you ask Fox.
"It's just a matter of these guys just trusting in their process and getting after it like they've been doing," Fox said. "I mean, this group is one of the better groups I've been around as far as preparing and things like that, it's just a matter of the execution being a little more consistent on daily basis."
Inconsistency is a big part of the minor league baseball process as many minor leaguers struggle with being consistent well into their careers, but through the inconsistent games and at bats, there are glimpses of development.
"You always want to win. That's what you want to do," Fox said. "These kids are developing and sometime they go through little, little spells like this, and the good ones come out of it and that's what you hope for."
One of those who has been a mark of consistency for Fox's squad this year has been Termarr Johnson, who had two of the Curve's four hits against Erie.
He, along with Mitch Jebb, have been atop the batting order and the stat sheet for Altoona most of the season.
Ultimately, the wins matter to some, but development matters the most to those in the organization and above all, that's what Fox and company view as rewarding.
"You want them to come out of the because they want to do well, they want to be consistent and they want to move on," Fox said. "The preparation and things like that, for me, has been rewarding, just because they don't quit. They keep coming and they, you know, they keep, keep getting after it."
Burrows tough
Beau Burrows hurled two shutout innings for the Curve in the eighth and ninth innings, stymying a powerful Erie offense.
He shut them down to the tune of five strikeouts. He faced six batters.
"He had a good fastball," Fox said. "He had the slider going today, which was great. He's still new to me. It was his second outing and obviously he's an experienced guy, maybe a little bit older, and just getting his feet back on the ground, but yeah, he was impressive."
On the move
The Pirates made a bevy of roster moves in Altoona prior to Tuesday night's game.
Pitchers Cam Sanders and Sean Sullivan were sent to Triple A Indianapolis while pitcher Fineas Del Bonta-Smith was sent from Indianapolis to Altoona.
Outfielder Sammy Siani began his rehab stint with Low A Bradenton.
Records
With the loss, the Curve are 25-33 while the SeaWolves improved to 39-19
Up next
Tonight, the Curve will throw righty Wilber Dotel and his 3.62 earned-run average against Erie righty Kenny Sera, who is 1-0 with a 6.00 ERA.