PORTLAND, ME. – Despite getting one of their best pitching performances of the season from starter Matt Ager, the Curve dropped a 3-2 decision to the Portland Sea Dogs in ten innings on Saturday night at Portland’s Delta Dental Stadium.
Ager allowed a run in the third inning on a sacrifice fly to Franklin Arias and then proceeded to set down ten straight hitters until an infield single from Jack Winnay in the seventh. Ager induced a pair of double play balls, including right after he allowed the single to Winnay, and set a career-high with seven innings in the start. Ager struck out five, allowed just three hits and one walk in his outing.
The Curve bats were held quiet by rehabbing Red Sox starter Patrick Sandoval who spun five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts to start the game. Anthony Eyanson entered after him and similarly kept the Curve off-balance until the eighth inning when the Curve finally struck. After a two-out single by Matt King, Ryan McCarty slammed a two-run homer over the Maine Monster to take a 2-1 lead.
Portland tied the game in the bottom of the eighth when infielder Ahbram Liendo drove in the tying run against Jaycob Deese. After the Curve were held scoreless by Eyanson in the ninth and again in the tenth, Liendo came back to the plate with one out in the tenth and reached on an infield single to plate the game-winning run.
Lonnie White Jr. saw his 23-game on-base streak come to an end in the defeat, it was the longest streak by a Curve hitter this season.
Altoona continues their six-game series with the Portland Sea Dogs, Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, on Saturday at 6:20 p.m. The Curve will send RHP Matt Ager to the mound with Portland starting RHP Anthony Eyanson.
For tickets and more information on the Altoona Curve, visit AltoonaCurve.com, call 877.99.CURVE or stop by the PNG Field box office. Additionally, the Stockyard Team Store is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., during every home game and online 24/7/365.