Binghamton seems to have the Curve’s number this year. The B-Mets took two of three at Binghamton to begin the season series and then got a double effort from right-hander Brian Bannister in the opener of a three-game set at Blair County Ballpark on Tuesday night.
Bannister tossed eight solid innings to pick up his seventh win of the year to go with just one loss and contributed to the offense with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored in Binghamton’s 5-1 triumph over the Pittsburgh Pirates Double-A franchise in Altoona.
Curve starter Mike Connolly pitched one of the best games of his 2005 season, giving up two runs, one earned in seven strong innings, with eight strikeouts and one walk. He gave up a solo home run to Binghamton leadoff hitter Anderson Hernandez leading off the fifth inning and then Bannister took over.
“Michael (Connolly) threw the ball extremely well,” said Curve manager Tony Beasley. “It was unfortunate there were some plays we could have made to help him out. Overall, he threw the ball outstanding. It was 2-1 when he came out of the game after seven innings. He kept us in the ballgame. You can’t ask anything more.”
Bannister, who matched New Hampshire’s Shaun Marcum for the lead in Eastern League wins with seven, doubled o right, went to third on an error by Altoona shortstop Brandon Chaves and scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly to right by Jeff Duncan.
Shane Youman came in to pitch the final two innings for the Curve and got himself into trouble immediately. Youman walked David Bacuni, the first hitter he faced and after a sacrifice bunt moved him up a base, the Curve intentionally walked Aarom Baldiris, who had already singled and doubled. The strategy seemed to work at first, with Youman getting a popup by B-Mets catcher Joe Hietpas for the second out. Bannister saw to it personally to make the move unsuccessful however, by slamming a double to left to score Bacuni and Lambin with a pair of insurance runs.
“He’s a guy in the lineup with a bat in his hand,” said Beasley about Bannister’s performance in the batter’s box. “He can do damage. We have faced teams with pitchers that can hit. Some of those guys swing the bat well. He (Bannister) is obviously one of those guys.”
Binghamton added a fifth tally in the top of the ninth on a single by Duncan and triple by Jay Caligiuri to cap the scoring.
Youman gave up three runs in two innings of work in relief, on three hits and three walks with one strikeout.
“You have to throw strikes and pound the zone, make the guys earn getting on base,” said Beasley in reference to his bullpen. “There were too many hitters counts. You got to attack hitters and get ahead in the count. In close ballgames, if they have too many hitters counts and get good pitches to hit, they are going to do damage.”
Curve leadoff hitter Rajai Davis opened the bottom of the sixth for Altoona with his first Double-A home run to temporarily tie the game 1-1.
Davis and Rich Thompson began the game with infield hits for Altoona, but Davis was out trying to steal second base when he slid past the base and was tagged out and Thompson stole second, but then was out trying to steal third. Jose Bautista drew a walk that would have loaded the bases with no one out, but instead Bannister got Tom Evans, the Curve cleanup hitter to ground into a force play for the final out of the inning with no score, or no threat.
Bannister got help from his defense, who committed no errors and turned a pair of double plays to keep the Curve from mounting threats in the fourth and fifth.
In the fourth inning, Bautista singled to open the frame, but Evans hit into a third-to-second-to first double play and Bannister fanned Carlos Maldonaldo to end the at bat. An inning later Sadler singled, but was cut down when Craig Stansberry grounded into a shortstop-to second to first twin killing and Chaves struck out.
“It’s always depressing to lose,” said Connolly. “But you have to take some good in every outing. I have to take from going out there and throwing well, we just didn’t win tonight. Everything was working tonight. I was just going at them and making them put the ball in play and guys were making good plays behind me. Rajai (Davis) in centerfield ran down some balls. Guys were making plays and I was able to get ahead of guys and put them away.”
The three-game series continues today at 7:05 p.m., with righty Matt Peterson (4-3, 7.00) going for Altoona and Binghamton countering with right-handed Ken Chenard (4-5, 4.99).
