Chasers Finish Sweep of Indianapolis
May 30, 2021 - International League (IL)
Omaha Storm Chasers News Release
When Minor League Baseball changed its schedules to one-week, six-game series featuring the same teams prior to the season, the idea of sweeping an opponent in the format seemed a bit outrageous.
Yet here Omaha is on Sunday night, celebrating a six-game sweep of a foe that arrived in first place.
The Storm Chasers put the finishing touches on an unbeaten week against Indianapolis with a 7-2 win Sunday at Werner Park. Omaha scored six runs over a two-inning span to extend its win streak to eight.
Emmanuel Rivera had four hits, three of which went for extra bases, and Gabriel Cancel hit his third homer in two games as the Chasers improved to 16-7 while handing the Indians a seventh straight loss.
Omaha manager Brian Poldberg said his club has had a little luck, but the sweep was a team effort.
"When you're going to win six in a row, somebody different has to pick you up every night," he said. "One day it was the pitching, and one day it was the hitting and defense. Everybody's been chipping in."
Cancel, who homered twice on Saturday, opened the scoring with a solo shot off losing pitcher Cody Ponce (0-1) in the second. It remained 1-0 until Indy plated an unearned run to tie the game in the sixth.
Omaha starter Daniel Lynch pitched five shutout innings of two-hit ball but didn't factor in the decision after the unearned run scored while Mike Shawaryn was on the mound. Shawaryn (1-0) got the win with two innings of relief work. Jake Newberry finished the weekend for the Chasers with a scoreless ninth.
Poldberg praised his relievers for their work during the series. Omaha's bullpen ate up seven-plus innings on Wednesday and covered all nine in Saturday's game after Carlos Hernández was called up.
"The bullpen has kept us in it," he said. "In the last four days, I have no idea how many innings the bullpen has covered - nine yesterday, four today and seven before. The bullpen has been stretched thin."
Nearly everyone chipped in offensively in the series. Alcides Escobar found his stroke at the plate. Cancel drove in five runs over the final two games. Rivera was a homer shy of a cycle on Sunday. Kyle Isbel had three hits on Saturday. And Ryan McBroom homered in three consecutive games.
Poldberg said the Omaha clubhouse, as the win streak rolls on, is a fun place to be around right now.
"Winning comes off a lot of that, where guys are comfortable," he said. "They're not panicking. They're just going to go out, do what they can do and stay within themselves. It's so nice to walk in and have guys joking and laughing and having fun and looking forward to coming to the ballpark the next day."
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