The Curve pitching has been in and out of late, but the bats have been silent as so many church mice; the boys have managed all of five runs combined in their last four games. As has been the usual theme of late, Alex Presley is raking (3-for-4 last night with a double; now batting .362) but for the most part the rest of the lineup can't find first base. Shelby Ford had a nice night, splitting time between second base and left field and going 2-for-4 with a triple.
Rudy Owens suffered through the same kind of night Tim Alderson did against the Flying Squirrels Thursday; Owens did not yield a solitary extra-base hit, but did yield seven singles, two walks and a hit batsman. The Richmond batters aren't hitting all that well; they're just hitting seeing-eye grounders and bloop liners that are dropping in. Some of that is on the Curve defense; some of it is just random chance. Owens hung in there and ultimately escaped a 5th inning jam--with the aid of a Flying Squirrel baserunner gunned down at home by Shelby Ford--and set them down in the 6th to finish an acceptable performace of 6 innings, 4 runs (3 earned), 3 strikeouts, 2 walks.
The Curve have picked a bad time to slump; the Flying Squirrels have now opened up a 1.5 game lead on them in the division. It's hard being in a slump, especially at a bad time like this. The boys know they're struggling; they feel extra pressure because the next two games in Richmond feel like must-wins and Richmond is the best team in the Eastern League; and before and after every game they have to answer a hundred questions about why they're struggling and how they can get out of it.
And they will get out of it, and soon. Slumps don't last forever (and neither do hot streaks, of course). The boys will enjoy a big inning or two, or score a come from behind win, and life will continue as normal.
We just hope they start tomorrow.
SEMI-RANDOM TIDBITS
- It's hard to say whether deerfooted Richmond leadoff man Darren Ford was planning it, or just got pissed off when Rudy Owens drilled him leading off the first. But Ford stole second two hitters later, and then, with the same hitter at the plate, jumped a little early and Owens picked him off.
- Curve shortstop Chase d'Arnaud isn't hitting yet, per se, but he's been doing a much better job lately of working the count; he went 0-for-2 tonight, but walked twice and scored the Curve's only run in the top of the first, on Jordy Mercer's single. It says here that if d'Arnaud keeps working the count and waiting for his pitch, the hits will soon come.
- Altoona lost a chance to score in the 4th inning when Hector Gimenez was gunned down at home on Shelby Ford's single. The pitcher was next to bat, so you can't really fault Matt Walbeck for sending Gimenez in. The chance Rudy Owens doesn't end the inning is only around 20 percent; so if you think Gimenez's chance of scoring is 25 percent or better, you send him.
- Gorkys Hernandez made an error in the 4th inning to allow Erie shortstop Brandon Crawford to move up a base, costing the Curve at least one run. In the top of the 5th, Josh Harrison pinch hit for Hernandez and then stayed in the game at second base, Shelby Ford sliding to left field and Alex Presley over to center. I haven't heard anything about Hernandez being injured; his exit from the game was apparently punitive. We'll keep an eye on what happens. I keep hoping--still am hoping--Hernandez turns things around. His athleticism is obvious, but so far it hasn't translated into results very much, and he may be wearing out the coaching staff's patience.
- The Curve bullpen's struggles continue. Tony Watson yielded 2 runs in 1.1 innings of work, and then Corey Hamman relieved him in the 8th and gave up two singles. The good news: Hamman didn't walk anybody. The bad news: He did hit two batters in 0.2 innings. It's fair to say he's fighting to find his control right now.
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