Senators Rip Out Curve Hearts in Shutout Defeat
HARRISBURG, Pa. – Chris Gau struck out a season-high five batters in relief for Altoona on Friday night, but the dreadful stretch continued for the Curve as Harrisburg handed them a 14th consecutive loss, 2-0, at FNB Field. The bats were held quiet for the Curve until the ninth inning.
HARRISBURG, Pa. – Chris Gau struck out a season-high five batters in relief for Altoona on Friday night, but the dreadful stretch continued for the Curve as Harrisburg handed them a 14th consecutive loss, 2-0, at FNB Field.
The bats were held quiet for the Curve until the ninth inning. Nash Walters entered in relief to open the inning for Harrisburg and allowed a lead-off double to Joe Perez and a single to Seth Beer to put runners on the corners with no outs. After a strikeout and a hit-by-pitch to load the bases, Mike Jarvis flew out to left fielder Andrew Pinckney, who threw out Perez tagging at the plate to end the game.
Matt Fraizer recorded two of Altoona’s six hits, his third multi-hit game of the season. Altoona left seven runners on base and went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position in its fifth shutout defeat of the season.
Po-Yu Chen allowed both of Harrisburg’s runs in the start, with only one run earned. Chen tossed 5.1 innings and struck out four batters on six hits. Yohandy Morales singled with two outs in the fourth inning to Joe Perez in right field, allowing a run to score on a throwing error by Perez. Brady House hit his fifth home run of the season and third of the series in the sixth inning off Chen to extend the lead.
Gau entered with one out in the sixth inning and was fantastic for Altoona, allowing one base runner over 2.2 innings of relief. His five strikeouts match the most by an Altoona relief pitcher this season.
Altoona’s longest losing streak in franchise history is now at 14 games, matching the longest streak in the Eastern League since 2016, set by Richmond. The Flying Squirrels lost 15 consecutive games in 2015, which is the longest streak since 2005. Altoona's 5-20 start is the worst record for the club through 25 games in franchise history.
Altoona continues its seven-game series with the Harrisburg Senators, Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, on Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. Altoona will send RHP Drake Fellows to the mound to face RHP Kyle Luckham for Harrisburg.
For tickets and more information on the 2024 Altoona Curve Season, presented by Stuckey Automotive, visit AltoonaCurve.com, call 877.99.CURVE or stop by the PNG Field box office. Additionally, the Stockyard Team Store is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., during every home game and online 24/7/365.