ALTOONA, Pennsylvania -- Right-hander Matt Esparza struck out 10 over eight innings in his debut with the RubberDucks, and Yu-Cheng Chang and Joe Sever each drove in two runs as Akron broke a four-game losing streak Wednesday with a 4-2 win over the Curve.
Esparza (1-0, 1.13 ERA) had an uneven start to the game, hitting the second batter with a pitch, then giving up a double and an RBI single before striking out the final two batters.
Meanwhile, Akron's hitters were stymied by Curve starter Tanner Anderson (2-6, 4.41 ERA through four innings.