Erie SeaWolves (14-12) at Altoona Curve (10-16)
Today, 6:35 p.m.
Saturday, doubleheader, 5:05 p.m.
Sunday, 3:05 p.m.
Pitching matchups
Today: Erie RH Josh Rainwater (2-1, 2.86) vs. Altoona RH Jimmy Barthmaier (2-0, 5.04)
Saturday: Game 1 — Erie RH Ben Fritz (1-0, 4.34) vs. Altoona LH Kyle Bloom (0-2, 8.47)
Game 2 — Erie RH Matt Righter (0-0, 7.88) vs. TBA
Sunday: Erie LH Lucas French (1-2, 4.94 ) vs. Altoona Altoona RH Yoslan Herrera (1-3, 3.96)
Erie notes: The SeaWolves grabbed a 4-3 season series lead over the Curve last week by winning three of four games from Altoona at Jerry Uht Park. … After losing the series’ opener 8-3, Erie rebounded with 10-4, 9-3 and 5-4 wins. … Altoona won two of three games from Erie April 17-19 at Blair County Ballpark. … Erie’s weekend series against the Curve ends a 19-game stretch against Southern Division opponents. … Despite losing the final two games of their three-game series at Akron Tuesday through Thursday, the SeaWolves still own the second-best road record (9-7) in the Southern Division behind Harrisburg (9-5). … Erie is 5-5 at home. … Left fielder Wilkin Ramirez and catcher Dusty Ryan each have six-game hitting streaks. … Right-hander Josh Rainwater was targeted to see mostly relief duty this season, but has remained in the rotation since lefty Jon Connolly was promoted to Triple-A Toledo in mid-April. … The SeaWolves entered Thursday’s game leading the league in team average (.277), stolen bases (46), runs scored (162) and homers (27). … Erie has homered at least once in 18 of its 26 games. … The SeaWolves are 13-10 against Southern Division opponents. … The SeaWolves are 5-0 in games started by Fritz this season. … The SeaWolves open a seven-game homestand on Monday, hosting the Trenton Thunder at 6:35 p.m. in the opener of a four-game series on Buck Night at Jerry Uht Park.
Altoona notes: Altoona is riding a season-high six-game losing streak after being swept in a three-game series at home by the Harrisburg Senators Tuesday through Thursday. … The Curve’s 10-15 April record ties the second-worst start to a season in club history. Altoona began the 2001 season with a 10-15 April record. … Curve infielder Melvin Dorta set a club record when he recorded a hit in his eighth consecutive at-bat in the first inning of Wednesday’s game against Harrisburg. In Sunday’s 5-4 loss to the SeaWolves at Jerry Uht Park, Dorta collected hits in his final three at-bats. After a day off on Monday, Dorta went 4-for-4 on Tuesday against Harrisburg in the opening game of their series. Altoona’s previous franchise record of seven straight hits was set by Jeff Keppinger in June 2004. … Outfielder Brad Corley has an eight-game hitting streak. … Saturday’s doubleheader includes a makeup game rescheduled due to an April 20 rainout between the teams in Altoona. … Altoona is playing 20 of its first 30 games at home. … Right-hander Jimmy Barthmaier, a member of the Pirates’ 40-man roster, started against Erie on Sunday at Jerry Uht Park and did not figure in the decision, allowing two earned runs and four hits over five innings. … Outfielder James Boone is the only Curve player to have appeared in every game. … Curve right-handed reliever Brian Rogers, who pitched for the SeaWolves in 2006, was promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday. Rogers was 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA in 15 innings and had thrown 14 straight scoreless innings for the Curve at the time of his promotion.
— Ron Leonardi