Culver's clout, Alcantara's arm ends skid

Cito Culver homered and equaled a career high with four RBI, and Sandy Alcantara pitched seven strong innings as the New Orleans Baby Cakes snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 5-1 win over the Iowa Cubs on Tuesday afternoon at Principal Park.
The Baby Cakes avoided their second eight-game skid of the season, and finished 2-7 on the road trip.
Iowa starter Adbert Alzolay, the top-ranked prospect in the Chicago Cubs organization, was perfect through four innings but was removed after 60 pitches, and the 'Cakes wasted no time pouncing on the bullpen.
Rafael Ortega's one-out double off Brad Markey (0-1) gave New Orleans its first baserunner and was the first of four consecutive hits. Chad Wallach followed with a bloop single to right, and Ortega scored on an error by Victor Caratini. A double to the left-center field gap put runners at second and third for Culver, who slugged his third home run of the year deep over the left field wall to put the 'Cakes in front, 4-1.
Singles by Ortega, Wallach and Culver produced another run in the seventh, and that was plenty of support for Alcantara, who made a season-high 101 pitches while limiting the I-Cubs to five hits in seven innings. Alcantara kept Iowa out of the hit column until a Bijan Rademacher double in the fourth, and a balk and a sacrifice fly gave the Cubs a short-lived 1-0 advantage.
Alcantara (3-1) struck out three, walked two and hit two batters in completing at least seven innings for the fourth time in his last five starts. Drew Rucinski fanned a pair over the final two innings.
The 'Cakes return home to host the first-place Memphis Redbirds in a five-game series beginning Wednesday at 7 p.m.