The Albuquerque Isotopes continued their sizzling start Sunday, completing a four-game sweep of Iowa with a 7-3 victory at Isotopes Park.

Remarkably, neither ‘Topes manager Lorenzo Bundy nor his players were talking about playoff rosters or undefeated seasons afterward the season’s initial series.

	Today Isotopes vs. Omaha, 6:35 p.m., 610 AM

They were, however, pretty satisfied after outscoring the I-Cubs 35-15 in the series.

“We got what we needed from this ballclub,” Bundy said. “Good situational hitting, clean defensive games and our bullpen’s been great. We’re going to need our starters to give us more innings or we’ll never make it through the season, but other than that…”

On the other side of the coin, the I-Cubs had little to feel good about and probably couldn’t get to the airport fast enough. Sunday’s loss was their 13th straight in Albuquerque dating back to July of 2011.

The frustration became evident in the fourth inning when Iowa manager Marty Pevey was ejected for arguing and went nose-to-nose with plate umpire Angel Campos. Two pitches later, I-Cubs shortstop Donnie Murphy struck out and was subsequently tossed by Campos.

“I don’t know what it is,” Bundy said of Iowa’s Albuquerque struggles. “It’s almost a completely different team than last year. We’ve just had their number for a while, I guess.”

Iowa’s Donnie Murphy, left, tags Isotope Dee Gordon during a rundown in the second inning on Sunday. (Dean Hanson/Albuquerque Journal

Sunday’s game worked out about as well as Bundy could have asked under the circumstances. The Isotopes’ pitching staff came in short-handed because each of its first three starters had lasted four innings or fewer.

To make matters worse, closer Josh Wall was unavailable after taking a line drive off his back Saturday night, and Sunday’s starter, Javy Guerra, was limited by a strict pitch count. Normally a reliever for the Dodgers, Guerra is with the ‘Topes primarily to get some extended work on his arsenal of pitches.

Fortunately for Bundy, Guerra was efficient Sunday, getting four strong innings out of his 57 pitches. The only hit he allowed was Ryan Sweeney’s solo home run in the second inning.

“I just tried to do what I was asked,” Guerra said, “work all my pitches and treat every inning like a closer.”

Guerra even chipped in an RBI single before departing with the ‘Topes leading 4-1. Angel Castro took over on the mound and held the I-Cubs hitless for the next four innings.

Albuquerque’s offense gradually expanded the lead. Nick Buss and Scott Van Slyke chipped in with solo home runs to center field. They combined to go 6-for-7 with five RBIs.

“I’ll take it,” said Buss, who made the most of his first start. “It’s great to go 4-for-4 and it’s great to sweep the series.”

Castro finally seemed to lose steam in the ninth, allowing two hits and a pair of runs before departing. That allowed former University of New Mexico pitcher Steve Smith to get the final out in his Isotopes debut.

Van Slyke finished his torrid series with ridiculous numbers. The first baseman is hitting .600 with two doubles, a homer and nine RBIs.
— This article appeared on page B1 of the Albuquerque Journal