Reznet

Zephyrs Keep Hot Streak Alive

By Charles Pulliam

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The New Orleans Zephyrs are leaving Iowa, but they probably wouldn't mind sticking around to keep playing.
With a 9-3 win, New Orleans capped an impressive four-game series Sunday against the Iowa Cubs in Triple-A baseball action at Principal Park.

"As a team, I think we just finished the best series of the year for us," Zephyrs left fielder Chip Ambres said.

In the series, the Zephyrs racked up 52 runs on 66 hits. They had nine home runs.

"Offensively, we were great," New Orleans manager Ken Oberkfell said.

The Zephyrs batted .369 in the series. Iowa won the first game 9-6 on Thursday, but the Zephyrs rebounded with an 18-8 win Friday. New Orleans' best game came Saturday, when it won 19-4 with a franchise-record 25 hits. Third baseman Jake Gautreau went 6-for-7 on Saturday with eight RBIs. Ambres was 10-for-21 with three homers and nine RBIs in the series.

"We were just trying to get on base," Ambres said.

On Sunday, second baseman Jason Alfaro finished 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs to lead the Zephyrs. Ambres extended his hit streak to eight games, going 1-for-4 and driving in two runs.
New Orleans started early Sunday on its way to another hitting barrage.

Anderson Hernandez's home run on the second pitch of the game set the tempo. Cubs pitcher Ryan O'Malley gave up another homer to Alfaro, the third batter. The ball nearly reached the Des Moines River, and the Zephyrs led 2-0 in the first inning.

After the Zephyrs scored two more runs in the third inning, Cubs right fielder Buck Coats got his team on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth. Alfaro fumbled a ground ball, and Coats' run made the score 4-1.

Veteran catcher Sandy Alomar Jr., a six-time major league All-Star, capped the fifth inning with a two-run homer that pushed the Zephyrs' lead to 8-1. Alomar Jr., the American League Rookie of the Year in 1990, has played for six major league teams, including the 1997 Cleveland Indians, who fell short in the World Series against the Florida Marlins.

Frustration became another factor in favor of the Zephyrs in the bottom of the fifth.

Cubs left fielder Mike Kinkade was ejected by umpire Scott Chamberlin after a close play at first base. Kinkade hit a hard grounder that Hernandez scooped up near second base, beating the Cubs' Ronny Cedeno to the bag. Hernandez's throw to first completed the double play.

"We were great at working the bases both ways," Ambres said.

Losing Kinkade was another bad break for the Cubs, who then lacked one of the few bright spots from the previous game. Kinkade had a homer and scored two runs Saturday.

Trailing 9-3, the Cubs had an opportunity in the bottom of the sixth to close the gap. But with the bases loaded and two outs, Ambres caught first baseman Micah Hoffpauir's fly ball to deep left field to close the inning.

Hoffpauir's drive fell about 15 feet short of the wall. Ambres snatched the hopes of the more than 8,000 Cubs fans by making the catch.

"I just played it back, and I know they (Iowa) have good power," Ambres said, "I got a good break on it."

The Cubs didn't threaten again. They tallied 16 hits but managed only three runs.

Sunday's loss dropped the Cubs to 36-26, while the Zephyrs won their third consecutive game and their second series in a row, improving to 33-31. New Orleans swept Salt Lake in the first week of June.

Iowa still maintains the best record in the Pacific Coast League standings, and New Orleans pushed its lead in the PCL South to one game over Albuquerque.

Phillip Humber (7-4) earned the victory. He has won five straight for the Zephyrs. Humber gave up 13 hits and struck out four in five innings. Ryan O'Malley (3-5) took the loss for the Cubs.

Zephyrs notes: In the first week of May, Iowa swept New Orleans; the finale was Humber's last loss. … With the help of 16 doubles, New Orleans raised its team batting average to .278, up from .270 before the series. … Gautreau said his second home, New Orleans, is well on the path to recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. "They have cleaned up most of the city," Gautreau said, "It's just we have only about one-third of the people in the stands. I'm just glad to be going home soon.". … Ambres mentioned the rebuilding process also and said he just wants to help New Orleans by making the fans happy.

"I'm just glad to be there and put smiles on the fans' faces," he said.

Charles Pulliam, Alaskan Aleut, is a student at the University of Alaska in Anchorage.

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