Curve Take Series Opener at Reading

Martis worked with more traffic on the basepaths Tuesday than Cumpton did two nights ago while taking the ball for Altoona to kick off a six-game road trip through Reading and Akron, but the veteran righty never cracked with men aboard. While scattering seven hits and one out, Martis (4-1) benefitted from slick defense behind him including a pair of double plays. The Curacao native stranded five R-Phils on the basepaths on the night, all along working with as slim of a margin for error as possible.

The Curve gained their first and only advantage in the top of the second inning. With one out and the bases empty, outfielder Miles Durham drove a line drive deep to left field. There, Phillies left fielder Leandro Castro camped out at the wall to prepare for an attempt at robbing the potential jack. Upon his leap, though, Castro came away empty handed, and Durham's solo shot, his second home run of the year for Altoona, gave the Curve a 1-0 lead.

With seven hits of their own on the night, and three walks as well, the Curve missed out on a pair of chances to add to their lead. In the top of the third, Brock Holt flew out to left field with Elevys Gonzalez at third base, and Gonzalez was cut down by Castro while trying to score the Curve's second run of the night. In the ninth, it was Jeremy Farrell who couldn't reach home before a throw from Reading right fielder Brandon Tripp. The 9-2 putout on Gonzalez's single ended the top of the ninth and kept the game at 1-0. It didn't matter. The Curve's lone run against Reading starter Julio Rodriguez (3-1), who himself was brilliant through eight innings of one-run ball, was enough.

Reading missed out on its best chance in the eighth when Martis induced a 4-6-3 double-play ball off the bat of Troy Hanzawa with runners at first and second to end the inning. Jeff Inman (S, 1) struck out a batter and retired the side in order for the save in the ninth.

From Altoona Curve reports: