Altoona Curve (19-31) at Erie SeaWolves (22-31 )
Today, 6:35 p.m.
Saturday, doubleheader, 5:05 p.m.
Sunday, 1:05 p.m.
Jerry Uht Park
Pitching matchups
Today: Erie LH Lucas French (3-4, 3.82) vs. Altoona RH Jimmy Barthmaier (2-4, 4.86)
Saturday: First game, Erie RH Josh Rainwater (2-2, 6.31) vs. Altoona RH Yoslan Herrera (3-5, 3.83)
Saturday:Second game, Erie RH Matt Righter (1-1, 4.94) vs. Altoona LH Kyle Bloom (0-3, 5.91)
Sunday: Erie RH Andrew Kown (3-5, 5.13) vs. Altoona RH Josh Hill (4-5, 3.62)
Altoona notes:With wins over Bowie on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Curve won back-to-back games for the first time since May 2-4 against the SeaWolves. … Altoona had its first shutout win of the season in Tuesday’s 5-0 win over Bowie. … First baseman Jason Delaney is the only Curve player to play in every game this season. … Right-hander Jimmy Barthmaier and right-hander Yoslan Herrera are members of the Pirates’ 40-man roster. Barthmaeir will attempt to break a four-start losing streak tonight. … Infielder Shelby Ford and catcher Miguel Perez were activated from the disabled list on Wednesday. Ford, the Pirates’ 2006 third-round draft pick, went 3-for-5 with three RBIs in Wednesday’s 8-2 win over Bowie. Ford went on the disabled list on April 13 and missed 39 games due to a hip flexor injury. The switch-hitter played in only three games before his injury. Perez, the Curve’s opening day catcher, was put on the disabled list on April 14 after dislocating his shoulder April 14 at Trenton. He missed 37 games. … Outfielder James Boone is the lone Curve player on the disabled list.
Erie notes: The SeaWolves are coming off their first series win since late April, ending a five-week stretch in which they lost seven straight series and split one. … Erie is 5-5 against Altoona this season, with eight games left in their season series. … Saturday’s doubleheader includes a makeup game of a May 3 rainout at Blair County Ballpark. Erie does not play in Altoona any more this season, forcing the game to made up at Uht Park. … When the SeaWolves last hosted Altoona, they won three of four games from the Curve April 24-27. … Altoona won two of three games from Erie May 2-4. … Left-hander Lucas French has thrown seven or more innings in five straight starts and six of his last seven. In his last start, he threw 7 1/3 innings, allowing one run on 10 hits, in an 8-1 win at Akron on Sunday. … Right-hander Matt Righter, a reliever, will make his third consecutive spot start in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. … Right-hander Josh Rainwater was activated from the club’s disabled list on Thursday and is scheduled to start the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader. He had been on the disabled list since May 10. Rainwater had been recovering from an oblique strain.… Right-hander Andrew Kown threw one of his best games of the season in his last outing on Tuesday, allowing four hits and one run over eight innings in a 3-1 win over Reading.
-- Ron Leonardi