Windows Media Player is required to play any video and/or audio files that are listed on this page If the file does not play, you most probably have an older version installed Minimum of Version #9 is necessary, and it can be downloaded for free by clicking here * make sure your speakers are on

The Altoona Curve will close out the home portion of their 2007 season with an eight game homestand comprised of two four game series

Altoona will take on the:-
------------Harrisburg Senators - Thursday August 23rd to Sunday August 26th, and the
------------Reading Phillies - Monday August 27th to Thursday August 30th

The Result
Curve - 2 runs to 1

The Curve - Year-to-Date
66 wins and 62 losses

Brett's Position and the Batting Order
Did Not Start
Playing
Batting - #

---------------Entered the game at the start of the top of the ninth innings - first base
---------------Played half an innings only - did not have a plate appearance

Brett's at-bats
First plate appearance
Did not have a plate appearance
......and now click on the "PLAY" button

At the end of the Game
0 hit from 0 at-bats

Heard during the game

Email from Brett

Game Reports

Josh Shortslef turned in one of his finest performances of the season as the Curve defeated the Harrisburg Senators, 2-1, in the opener of a four-game series Thursday night at Blair County Ballpark

Shortslef (4-12) was tremendous, winning for the first time on the year at BCB by tossing six innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits to the Senators
Shortslef faced little adversity as he struck out five Senators on the night

The Curve meanwhile attempted to shrug off some offensive shortcomings of the past week with a run in the first inning
Altoona took a 1-0 lead on Harrisburg with a pair of singles off of starter Beltran Perez
Vic Buttler got the rally started with a one-out single
Buttler stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error from Senators' catcher Luke Montz
He scored from there on an RBI single from Adam Boeve

Brian Peterson padded the Curve lead by belting Perez's first pitch of the sixth inning into the left field bleachers for a 2-0 Altoona lead

Dee Brown capitalized on Shortslef's lone mistake to open the seventh as Brown also homered to left field to slice the Curve lead back to one run

Shortslef departed a batter later after Ofilio Castro doubled, but 34-year old Jose Paniagua came on to excape the jam and keep the Curve in front
Paniagua returned to toss a scoreless eighth inning before turning the ballgame over to Curve closer Matt Peterson
Peterson collected his 25th save of the season by striking out the side in the ninth
The only delay on the way to victory lane, a one-out walk to Castro
Peterson now stands just two saves shy of the franchise record of 27

The series will continue on Friday night at 7.05pm
RHP Yoslan Herrera (6-7, 4.32) will make the start for the Curve against RHP Jim Magrane (5-8, 3.97) for Harrisburg

The Senators and Altoona Curve opened up a four-game series in Altoona Thursday night with the Curve winning 2-1

The Sens are now 2-2 on their final road trip of the season and 48-82 overall

Senator starter Beltran Perez and Curve starter Josh Shortslef hooked up in a pitchers duel with both pitchers going six innings and keeping their teams in the game

Perez took the loss to fall to 6-6 and Shortslef picked up his fourth win of the year against twelve losses

Altoona scored a run in the first off of Perez, and threatened in the second loading the bases with no outs, but Perez pitched out of the jam with a couple of strikeouts and a groundout

Meanwhile the Sens had a couple of chances, but didn't take advantage of them

After Altoona took a 2-0 lead in the last of the sixth inning, Dee Brown homered to left to cut the lead in half at 2-1
Ofilio Castro immediately doubled but was stranded at third to end the inning

Brown was the only Senator with two hits in the game

For the third straight game, the Sens didn't muster much offense

Game two of the series is Friday night at 7.05pm with RH Jim Magrane on the mound for the Sens against RH Yoslan Herrera for Altoona

In more ways than one, the law of averages turned in Josh Shortslef’s favor Thursday night
The Curve left-handed pitcher has endured his struggles this season, but his offense hasn’t helped him much, either
Entering Thursday night’s game with Harrisburg at Blair County Ballpark, the strapping 6-foot-4, 250-pounder had made a team-high 24 starts, and had won just three of them, none at home
The Curve were just 6-18 in Shortslef’s 24 outings prior to Thursday, but Altoona had scored three runs or fewer in half of those starts

Altoona’s bats produced only two runs Thursday, but catcher Brian Peterson provided a decisive solo homer in the sixth inning and Shortslef pitched into the seventh, allowing just one run on five hits as the Curve rapped out a 2-1 victory before a paid attendance of 7,306

The Curve’s Eastern League playoff hopes have been dwindling drastically over the past few weeks, but if Altoona stands any chance of securing a playoff berth over the final 10 days of the regular season, contributions like the one Shortslef (4-12 this year) turned in Thursday will be vital

“I’ve definitely had a couple good starts lately, and I was trying to build on those tonight’’ said Shortslef, who struck out five batters and walked two Thursday
“We all know that it’s not important how a team starts the season, it’s how they finish it
And with any kind of big win streak at the end of this season, we’re capable of doing it and making the playoffs’’

The Curve’s chances aren’t good, even if they play well
As things stand now, the Curve have to hurdle two teams - Akron and Bowie - for the second playoff slot in the league’s Southern Division, and Reading is also right in the mix, directly behind the Curve

Altoona manager Tim Leiper is trying to put a positive spin on the situation
“I still think everybody on the Curve team thinks we can do this, which is great’’ he said
“We have to win every game
That’s what we’re trying to do - win every game and focus on every game
Hopefully, the rest will play out in our favor’’

After Shortslef surrendered a solo homer by Dee Brown - son of the late, great National Football League Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Jerome Brown - in the seventh inning, the Curve’s bullpen closed the door the rest of the way

Jose Paniagua worked a scoreless seventh and eighth inning, and Matt Peterson closed the ninth by striking out three batters for his 25th save of the season

Harrisburg, last in the Southern Division, had six hits in the game, but Senators’ manager Scott Little expressed frustration at his team’s lack of plate discipline
“I thought we stunk at the plate tonight’’ he said
“We didn’t have the approach that allowed us to win five of our last five series coming into Thursday’s game
Our players were swinging at whatever was thrown to them early in the count, and just hoping they could get hits’’

The Curve scored a single run in the first inning against Harrisburg starter and loser Beltran Perez (6-6)
Adam Boeve flared a single to right-center that plated Vic Buttler from third base
Buttler had singled to center, stole second and advanced to third when catcher Luke Montz’s throw sailed into center field

Brian Peterson deposited a Perez pitch into the left-field bleachers for his fourth homer of the season leading off the Curve sixth, giving Altoona a 2-0 lead that ultimately stood up

“Brian Peterson’s home run was a big one for us’’ Shortslef said
“It actually won the game
Then our relievers came in and shut things down’’