Bees finally recover from break by beating Tacoma

The extended all-star break for the Salt Lake Bees came to an end Monday night at Franklin Covey Field. The Bees, after more than a week off, came out ready to play, beating the Tacoma Rainiers 10-7.

Actually, the all-star break officially ended four days earlier when the Bees opened a four-game road series against last-place Las Vegas. But after losing all four games in Vegas, it certainly seemed like the Bees were still on vacation.

"That was a miserable trip," said Bees catcher Ryan Budde. "Those three off days (for the all-star break) didn't treat us too well. We just couldn't get nothing going offensively, and defensively we didn't play very well and the pitchers had one of those series where every mistake they made got hit."

Monday's win ended a season-high five-game losing streak for the Bees. Salt Lake, at 51-45, now trails first-place Colorado Springs by a half game in the PCL's Pacific Northern Division standings.

The Bees scored three runs in the second inning, with Adam Pavkovich hitting a run-scoring double and Budde adding a run-scoring single. Salt Lake increased its lead to 6-0 in the third on a three-run homer by Greg Porter.

"When you are in a losing streak and you jump out to a lead, it helps you relax a little bit," said Bees manager Brian Harper. "It takes the pressure off. If they would have jumped out to a lead we would have been like, 'Oh no. Here we go again.' But to get six runs right away in the first three innings helped us know we were OK."

The Rainiers made a game of it with four runs of their own in the fourth inning off Bees starter Pedro Liriano. But Salt Lake put the game away with a four-run sixth inning — with Budde's two-run, tape-measure homer to left being the big shot. Budde's third hit of the night traveled an estimated 450 feet.

"It was a fastball that was up-and-in a little bit," said Budde. "I backed off the plate a little bit and guessed he would throw a fastball and sure enough, it was there."

The Rainiers didn't go away quietly, as Ronnie Prettyman belted a three-run homer off Bees reliever Marcus Gwyn in the eighth inning to make the score 10-7. But Salt Lake's Jason Bulger earned the save, his fifth of the year, by blanking the Rainiers in the ninth.

The Bees and the Rainiers continue their four-game series tonight at 7 p.m. The Bees are scheduled to start Kasey Olenberger (8-3, 4.09 ERA) against Tacoma lefty Brad Thomas (3-5, 5.33).

BEE LINES: Three players with Utah ties are on the Rainiers' roster. Pitcher Jason Mackintosh is a Salt Lake native that went to West High; pitcher Kam Mickolio played college ball at the College of Eastern Utah; and Utah Valley State and outfielder Jon Nelson is an Orem native who played for Timpanogos High. None of the three played in Monday night's game, however. ... Bees centerfielder Terry Evans was thrown out of the game in the eighth inning for arguing about a called third strike. ... Liriano improved to 3-10 with the victory . ... Announced attendance at the game was 9,313.

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