Omaha Welcomes Iowa to Werner Park
May 31, 2021 - International League (IL)
Omaha Storm Chasers News Release
Omaha continues its 12-game homestand this week as it welcomes longtime league rival Iowa to Werner Park for a six-game series that begins Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. This will be the second of six series between the two teams, who will meet 36 times in the new 2021 Triple-A schedule. The Storm Chasers enter the series on an eight-game winning streak after sweeping six games from Indianapolis last week. Omaha (16-7) sits atop the Triple-A East Midwest Division standings, 3.5 games ahead of second-place St. Paul. The I-Cubs (9-13) are 8.5 games behind the Chasers and have dropped their last eight in a row.
I-Cubs Take First Series
It seems hard to believe because of the results of each team since, but Iowa beat the Chasers in three of the five games in their first series. The opener for that series in Des Moines was postponed due to rain and will be made up on June 23. The Cubs then won the first three games, two of which were decided by one run. Iowa scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to edge Omaha 5-4 on Wednesday and held on for a 9-8 win on Friday, even though the Chasers hit four homers in the ninth. That inning, however, may have flipped the momentum of the series. Omaha never trailed over that weekend and hasn't lost since.
Omaha Streaks into June
The Chasers are on a hot streak heading into the second month and haven't dropped a game since their May 21 loss at Iowa. A team effort has gotten Omaha to the top of the division, and multiple players stood out in the first month. Pitcher Jackson Kowar led the way, looking every bit like a staff ace in May. He won all five starts and ranks among the league leaders in ERA (1.01), strikeouts (36) and a number of other categories. Reliever Gabe Speier recorded four saves and didn't allow a run in 10 outings. Edward Olivares, who paced Omaha offensively in May, is now with Kansas City. But a number of other hitters also had big months. Emmanuel Rivera's 21 RBIs rank second in Triple-A East while Ryan McBroom's seven home runs are third in the league. Kyle Isbel has swiped seven bases already, and infielders Gabriel Cancel and Alcides Escobar both had big finishes to the series with Indianapolis last week.
Scouting Iowa
The Cubs have fallen on hard times since taking their first three games with Omaha in May. St. Paul swept Iowa in Des Moines last week, winning a handful of close games after a 17-6 blowout in the series opener. The Cubs lost their top offensive performer, Sergio Alcantara, to the parent club last week. And Patrick Wisdom, who hit three homers and drove in 11 runs against Omaha in May, is also up. But Iowa has welcomed former National League batting champion and two-time NL All-Star Dee Strange-Gordon in the past few days. Strange-Gordon, who led the majors with 330 stolen bases from 2011-19, is the 33-year-old son of former Omaha pitcher Tom "Flash" Gordon. Iowa starter Cory Abbott is just 1-3 with a 6.39 ERA yet leads Triple-A East with 41 strikeouts. He fanned a career-high 13 against St. Paul Sunday.
Series Schedule
The Storm Chasers and Cubs play at 7:05 p.m. from Tuesday through Saturday. The six-game series wraps up with a 5:05 p.m. finale on Sunday. Single-game tickets for the Iowa series are on sale now.
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International League Stories from May 31, 2021
- Omaha Welcomes Iowa to Werner Park - Omaha Storm Chasers
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