Ortiz, Iowa end 51s’ streak at eight wins

Former major leaguer Ramon Ortiz pitched seven effective innings as the Iowa Cubs ended the 51s' season-best eight-game winning streak with a 7-3 victory Wednesday in a Pacific Coast League game in Des Moines, Iowa.

Ortiz (2-2), a 37-year-old right-hander who signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs on April 10, took a shutout into the sixth inning before Las Vegas rallied for three runs on RBI singles by Travis Snider and David Cooper and an RBI double by Adam Loewen, all with two outs, to pull within 4-3.

Ortiz allowed six hits, including four doubles, walked one and struck out eight.

Bryan LaHair led off the bottom of the second with his 12th home run of the season, off 51s left-hander Brad Mills (4-3), and Iowa scored three runs in the third by starting the inning with five consecutive hits and a sacrifice fly.

Mills gave up 11 hits and four runs, all earned, in five innings. He struck out six and walked none.

The Cubs tacked on a run in the seventh and two in eighth.

Iowa's Blake Parker and John Gaub each pitched a hitless inning of relief, with Gaub striking out the side in the ninth.

Cooper went 2-for-4 with a double to boost his batting average to .383.

The four-game series wraps up today, and Las Vegas starts an eight-game homestand Friday against Tacoma.