Pirates in St. Louis/Curve fall

Altoona Curve right-hander Eduardo Vera has been named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for August 20-26, the league announced on Monday afternoon.

Vera combined to go 2-0 with a 0.61 ERA over his two starts last week and struck out 16 batters over 14.2 innings of work while issuing four walks and allowing one run.

The Merida, Yucatan, Mexico native took the mound on Tuesday in Binghamton and allowed one run, a solo homer over his seven innings in a 9-2 Altoona victory. The Rumble Ponies managed to find three hits and a walk against Vera, who finished the outing with seven strikeouts.

Vera returned to the mound on Sunday night in Altoona against Richmond and held the Flying Squirrels scoreless over 7.2 innings. He allowed two hits and recorded nine strikeouts, a new career high.

Over his last nine starts since July 12, Vera has gone 7-0 with a 2.57 ERA, the most wins in the league in that span. His 3.50 overall ERA between Bradenton and Altoona is ranked sixth in the Pirates organization and his 11 total wins are tied for fifth. Over 16 starts at Double-A, Vera is 8-3 with a 3.86 ERA.

For Vera, the honor marks the second Pitcher of the Week award of his career and the first since August 2017 in the South Atlantic League with the West Virginia Power. He is the second Altoona player to win Eastern League Pitcher of the Week this season, joining Mitch Keller’s selection on May 21.