Z's suffer worst loss in club history
Erick Almonte went 5-for-6 with seven RBI, tying a Nashville Sounds club record, leading the Sounds to a 19-1 rout of the Z's on Monday night.
The loss is the largest margin of defeat in New Orleans franchise history, surpassing a 19-3 blowout in Oklahoma City on August 8, 1996.
New Orleans saw its losing streak reach four games, a season high, and fell for the sixth time in the last seven games, and 10th time in the last 14 games.
The Sounds blasted four home runs - including two by George Kottaras - in falling one run shy of their highest single-game run total in team history.
Almonte was the star of the night, missing the cycle by a triple. He delivered a two-run single in the first inning, a six-run outburst against Zephyrs starter Sean West (0-3) which was capped by a Zelous Wheeler three-run homer.
It marked the second consecutive night the Sounds tallied six runs in the opening inning.
The Nashville first baseman later added a three-run homer of his own in the sixth inning, when the Sounds scored another six runs to break the game wide open.
Almonte's two-run double in the ninth helped the Sounds tack on another six runs off reliever Dustin Richardson, who recorded just one out before being removed for Zephyrs' infielder Mike Cervenak.
Frankie De La Cruz (1-4) limited the Z's to just three hits over seven shutout innings to earn his first win of the season.
West was charged with nine runs in five innings and saw his season ERA balloon to 10.45.
The Sounds have outscored the Zephyrs 32-3 through the first three games of the series, and Nashville has now won 17 of the last 23 games played between the clubs at Zephyr Field.
The Z's look to turn things around in the series finale on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m., with right-handers Chris Sampson (2-0, 3.50) and Josh Butler (3-2, 4.99) squaring off.