It’s sort of fitting the Curve’s first series at Erie was snowed out because now they get to open the season against their biggest rival
Altoona and Akron have dominated the Southern Division the past four years, and there’s good reason to believe that could be the case again this season

Both teams, on paper, are loaded, and both the Pirates and Indians care more about winning in Double-A than most organizations

‘‘Most of the time it’s two good teams, and it’s always been a rivalry as long as I know’’ Curve reliever Matt Peterson said
‘‘It’s just going to be a great way to open up the season, and I’m sure it’s going to be a good series’’

These two teams have met in the division playoffs the past two years, with Akron ending the Curve’s season both times
It worked out that way in 2003, as well

Both clubs could be even better this season than a year ago

Ten players who ended last season with Akron return, and the Curve have fourteen back

The Aeros have three of the Indians’ top five prospects (LHP Chuck Lofgren, No. 2; OF Trevor Crowe, No. 3; OF Brian Barton, No. 5), while the Curve have three of the Bucs’ top four farmhands (OF Andrew McCutchen, No. 1; 3B Neil Walker, No. 2; RHP Yoslan Herrera, No. 4)

‘‘It’s actually comfortable playing them because we already know what each other can do’’ Curve manager Tim Leiper said of the Aeros

The players on both sides know each other well as they came up competing against each other at every step on the minor league ladder
There’s also a mutual respect built through several seasons of tough competition

‘‘We’ve got to have the attitude of stepping it up a notch playing against good competition’’ Curve pitcher Wardell Starling said
‘‘It’s like any team in the big leagues when they play the Yankees; they know they have to step it up a level
With Akron, they’ve got a good team coming back, they’ve got pretty much the same lineup and they’re going to hit the ball’’
The ability to pounce on a pitcher in trouble, Starling added, is what separates the Akron hitters
‘‘They don’t let a pitcher get out of a tough situation’’ he said
‘‘If they have a chance to bury the pitcher and get two or three or four, five runs off him, they’ll do that
But if you shut them down early, you’re able to beat them’’

When these teams square off in midseason, the games are always crisp, well-played and competitive
It could be a little different in this series, though, since neither club has played a game yet and both have been sitting around for more than a week because of snowouts

There’s less strategy involved in these kind of early season games, Leiper said, because both managers are trying to play as many people as possible and get their bullpen work
‘‘We’ve got to get our feet underneath us, and they’re going to be in the same boat we are’’ Leiper said
‘‘But it will still be a good series and good baseball’’

The Result
Aeros - 6 runs to 1

The Curve - Year-to-Date
0 wins and 1 loss

Brett's Position and the Batting Order
Playing - First base
Batting - #6

Brett's at-bats
First plate appearance
Lefthanded pitcher
Bases empty - two down
Ball
Called strike
Ball - outside
"That pitch is scorched!! ... and Brett drove that straight at the Aeros shortstop and somehow it went past his glove and hit him in the head ... and he is down!! ... he is now getting assistance from the the Aeros staff ... Brett smoked the ball but it was catchable and I'm not sure what happened there ... it was a nice piece of hitting and Brett will have the first hit of the season for the Curve, but that ball was playable ... the Aeros player is now back on his feet and it looks like he is going to remain in the game" (NOTE - see the game report below)
Infield single to shortstop
Left stranded at the end of the inning
Second plate appearance
Lefthanded pitcher
Bases empty - one down
Called strike - on the outside corner
Ball
Called strike - on the outside corner
Ball - curve ball - downstairs
"Brett hits that back up the middle ... and it's picked up backhanded by the Aeros second-baseman who makes the throw but it's not in time ... and Brett is now two-for-two tonight with two infield singles"
Infield single to second base
Out at second base on a fielder's choice hit by the following Curve batter
Third plate appearance
Righthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Called strike
Called strike
Ball - low
Ball - outside
Ball - outside - "Brett has now worked the count full after being down 0-and-2"
"Here comes the full count pitch ... and Roneberg is punched out!! ... and he knew it!! ... he walks back to the dugout with no questions to the home plate umpire ... that was a very nice pitch on the outside corner"
Strike out
Fourth plate appearance
Righthanded pitcher
Bases empty - two down
Called strike
Called strike
Ball - breaking pitch - just missed outside
"Brett swings and misses at that pitch and it gets away from the catcher but he is able to gather the ball and throw down to first base and Roneberg strikes out to end the ballgame"
Strike out

At the end of the Game
2 hits from 4 at-bats - 2 x singles, 2 x strike outs

Heard during the game

(01) As he was giving out the team lineups, the commentator said - "Brett Roneberg is at first base tonight and is batting at number six ... from what I understand, he and Randy Ruiz will share the duties of the Curve first-baseman and the designated hitter ... Brett also has the ability of playing in both corner outfield positions"

(02) As Brett walked in for his first plate appearance, the commentator said - "......and now Brett Roneberg steps to the plate and last year he was the Curve Most Valuable Player and was also awarded the Most Valuable Player in the Eastern League All Star Game"

(03) During Brett's second plate appearance, the commentator said - "Brett had a great season with the Curve last year ... with a batting average of 0.303, he was one of only two players in the entire Eastern League to finish over the 300 mark"

Email from Brett

Game Reports

Below freezing temperatures at Akron's Canal Park didn't cool off the Aeros' bats as Rodney Choy Foo and Brian Barton each drilled key two-run home runs in a 6-1 win over the Curve Monday night

The Curve offense, meanwhile, was limited to just four hits by four different Akron pitchers

The game was the first for both clubs after each team had three-game series wiped out by snow and cold conditions over the weekend

Choy Foo touched up Curve starter Josh Shortslef for a two-run shot in the fourth inning to break open a 1-1 tie and give Akron a 3-1 advantage
The native of Hawaii went a perfect 4-for-4 on the night

Barton extended the Akron lead in the fifth inning against reliever Kip Bouknight with an opposite-field two-run homer to make the score 5-1
Barton, a career .324 hitter entering 2007 and one of Cleveland's top outfield prospects, went 2-for-4 with three RBI

Shortslef (0-1), the only member of the Curve's 2006 Opening Day starting rotation to return to the starting staff in 2007, struck out eight batters in just four innings of work and allowed three runs - two earned - in suffering the defeat

Bouknight gave up just the two-run homer to Barton in his lone inning of work, while Jason Roach worked two scoreless frames and Romulo Sanchez allowed one run in an inning of work to finish up for the Curve

For Akron, left-hander Chuck Lofgren, the Indians' second-rated prospect according to Baseball America, pitched well in his Double-A debut, allowing just one run and four hits in five innings of work to notch the Opening Day win
Lofgren (1-0), who won a minor league-best 17 games for Class-A Kinston in 2006, fanned six and walked just one

Lofgren's only mistake came in the top of the fourth inning when Curve designated hitter Randy Ruiz clubbed an opposite-field solo homer to give Altoona its only run of the game

Brett Roneberg went 2-for-4 to account for half of the Curve's four hits in the contest

With the loss, the Curve fell to 0-5 all-time in season openers played on the road
Among those losses were three to the Reading Phillies (1999, '03, '05) and one to the Erie SeaWolves (2001)

The Curve and Aeros will play the middle game of their three-game set Tuesday night at 7.05pm
In a matchup of right-handers, Wardell Starling will go for Altoona against Akron's J.D. Martin

The Akron Aeros finally opened the 2007 campaign on Monday night, defeating the Altoona Curve 6-1 behind a dominating pitching performance by Chuck Lofgren and the Aeros bullpen

Rodney Choy Foo guided the Akron offense by going 4-for-4 with a homer, three runs scored and two RBIs

Lofgren made his first-ever start with the Aeros and was impressive going five innings, striking out six and allowing just one run on four hits

Following Lofgren, the bullpen - Joe Ness, Jensen Lewis and Bubbie Buzachero - continued to control the Altoona hitters, going a combined four shutout innings, striking out six and allowing no hits

Batting out of the ninth spot in the line-up, Choy Foo broke the game open in the fourth with his first home run of the season, off Curve starter Josh Shortslef, who went four innings, giving up three runs and striking out eight

Brian Barton, Jordan Brown and Pat Osborn all chipped in with two hits each as the Aeros collected 12 total hits

Barton followed Choy Foo’s blast in the fourth with a two-run shot of his own in the fifth to put Akron up 5-1

Akron will continue the series with Altoona on Tuesday night, April 10 at 7.05pm

Chuck Lofgren allowed four hits over five solid innings, helping Akron to a 6-1 triumph over visiting Altoona on Monday in the season opener for both teams

Lofgren (1-0), a top Cleveland Indians prospect and the 2006 Carolina League Pitcher of the Year, made a strong debut for the Aeros
The 21-year-old left-hander yielded an unearned run while striking out six and walking one

Rodney Choy Foo went 4-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs and Brian Barton homered and drove in three runs for Akron

Altoona starter Josh Shortslef (0-1) gave up three runs - two earned - on five hits, striking out eight and walking one, over four innings

Randy Ruiz belted a solo homer in the fourth for the Curve

A scientist will disagree, but the Curve proved Monday night even wooden bats can get a little rusty

Altoona finally played its season opener after three consecutive snowouts and a nine-day layoff since spring training

The Curve’s offense figures to be strong this season, but the hitters weren’t in their comfort zone their first time out against Akron

‘‘Playing in this cold weather, it’s kind of tough for everybody to get warmed up’’ Curve slugger Randy Ruiz said

Altoona managed just four hits and one run - a solo homer by Ruiz - and couldn’t match Akron’s big boppers
The Aeros hit a pair of two-run homers to win their season opener, 6-1, before a paid crowd of 7,191 (that was more like 400) at Canal Park

It shouldn’t be a big surprise Altoona lost Monday, based on an unusual streak concerning the law of averages
The Curve have lost the season opener every other year throughout franchise history, and since they won the first game in 2006, they were, of course, slated to fall this season

But only if you believe in those kinds of things

Actually, trends had nothing to do with Monday’s loss
Akron’s pitching had almost everything to do with it, along with the frigid 30-degree temperature that prevented Curve hitters from getting many good swings

Aeros starter Chuck Lofgren, who went 17-5 with a 2.32 ERA in Single-A last season, tossed five strong innings in his Double-A debut
Lofgren (1-0) allowed four hits, including Ruiz’s homer in the fourth that tied it 1-1, struck out six and walked one to earn the win

‘‘They just keep throwing arms at you’’ Curve manager Tim Leiper said of the traditionally strong Akron staff
‘‘You look at the kid tonight, he was 17-5 last year
That’s not easy to do in the minor leagues’’

Akron’s bullpen was even better, with three relievers combining to toss four hitless and scoreless innings

‘‘It’s the first game, everybody’s got first-day jitters and probably Tuesday everybody will bounce back’’ Ruiz said

Rodney Choy Foo’s two-run homer off Curve starter Josh Shortslef (0-1) in the fourth gave Akron a 3-1 lead

Brian Barton then tagged Kip Bouknight for a two-run homer in the fifth, and the Aeros added one more in the eighth off Romulo Sanchez

‘‘We didn’t pitch badly; they just ran into a couple pitches we did miss with’’ Leiper said

Brett Roneberg had two of the Curve’s four hits, including a line drive off shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera’s head in the second inning
Cabrera fell to the ground but popped up a minute later and stayed in the game

The Curve are under .500 for the first time since April 27, 2005, when they were 8-9
Altoona started last season 5-0 and was in first place for 28 of the first 29 days

Akron scored a fluke run in the third for a 1-0 lead
Shortslef got Barton swinging on a third strike for what would have been the third out, but catcher Milver Reyes was charged with a passed ball, allowing Choy Foo to score from third

Ruiz’s homer leading off the Curve fourth tied it briefly, with Choy Foo’s homer putting the Aeros up for good a few minutes later

‘‘It feels good to come back and start off with a home run’’ said Ruiz, who hit 26 of them last season for Trenton ‘‘but I’m a little bit down that we lost
Hopefully we can bounce back Tuesday’’

Josh Shortslef made all the pitches he needed to make, except one
That one just happened to make all the difference in the Curve’s season opener

Shortslef mowed down Akron’s hitters with eight strikeouts in only four innings Monday night

The 25-year-old lefty, in the first opening-day start of his career, handcuffed all but one of Akron’s hitters
Again, that one made all the difference

Tied 1-1 in the fourth inning, Shortslef faced Akron’s Rodney Choy Foo with two outs and a runner at third
The Curve pitcher jumped ahead in the count, 0-2, before Choy Foo put together a terrific at-bat
‘‘He battled me pretty good, and he got the best of me’’ Shortslef said
Choy Foo fouled off a couple sliders - one he crushed deep to left but foul - and watched three fastballs sail wide to work the count full
‘‘Choy Foo’s the kind of guy that never gives an at-bat up’’ Akron manager Tim Bogar said
‘‘When he’s down 0-2, he’s never out of an at-bat’’
Shortslef, throwing a dandy of a game to that point, tried to drop a 3-2 slider in on Choy Foo
The pitch hung up, and the Aeros hitter launched it over the wall in left for a go-ahead two-run homer
‘‘I made one mistake the whole game’’ Shortslef said
‘‘I hung that one slider
I wanted him to chase it, but it was up in the middle of the zone
He’s waiting for me to make a mistake, and I made it and he got it’’

That’s all it takes sometimes - one mistake

The Aeros used Choy Foo’s homer to grab a 3-1 lead, and with the Curve offense stifled, that was enough to sink Altoona in the opener

Shortslef took the tough-luck loss, a much different start than last year when he became the first Curve pitcher to open a season 5-0

Still, Shortslef showed plenty of promise - did we mention the eight strikeouts in only four innings? - and gave the Curve hope he can live up to the billing of staff ace

‘‘All in all I thought it was a good outing for Shorty, especially us being off this long’’ Altoona pitching coach Ray Searage said
‘‘For him to go out there and be aggressive the way he did was outstanding’’

Shortslef hadn’t pitched in 10 days and said he was merely ‘‘going out there seeing what I had’’
He allowed five hits and one walk in four innings, but he had batters fooled from the get-go

‘‘He was real good early, getting on top of everything and controlled the strike zone’’ Curve manager Tim Leiper said
‘‘He kind of lost his slider, and maybe it wasn’t quite as sharp later
All in all it’s a decent start to build on
You go four innings with our team and only give up three runs, you’re going to keep us in the game most nights’’

Just not on this night, when the Curve offense did little against Akron ace Chuck Lofgren

The Aeros always have outstanding pitching, and it takes outstanding pitching to beat them

One mistake against Akron, therefore, is often one too many

The Altoona Curve opened their season with a 6-1 loss at Akron on Monday night

The Curve recorded just three hits off four Akron pitchers while the Aeros scored three runs off Altoona starter Josh Shortslef

Curve Outfielder Andrew McCutchen and third baseman Neil Walker - the Pittsburgh Pirates' top two prospects - went a combined 0-for-7 in their 2007 debuts

Eastern League veteran Brett Roneberg led the Curve with two hits and Jason Roach tossed two innings of scoreless relief