Weary Salt Lake Bees end homestand with loss

SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake Bees may not have earned a victory on Tuesday night, but they certainly still deserve an evening off Wednesday.

The Bees, who have played every day for the past three weeks — including a pair of doubleheaders — failed to complete a four-game sweep of Reno on Tuesday when the Aces got off to an early lead and held on to win 5-3 at Spring Mobile Ballpark.

The Bees have not swept a four-game series in more than two years — April 24-27, 2008 to be exact.

But Salt Lake has still won four of its last five games entering the team's first day off since June 9.

"It's a welcome day off," said Bees manager Bobby Mitchell. "We get worn out. It's a day off that is much needed — more than our regular day's off because we've had doubleheaders. It's almost been like a baseball marathon."

Added Salt Lake center fielder Peter Bourjos, "It's been a long stretch with a lot of games. Everybody is just going to relax (Wednesday)."

The Bees are now 40-39, one game behind first-place Tacoma in the PCL's Pacific North Division. Salt Lake will next travel to Colorado Springs for a three-game series beginning Thursday.

Bees starter Tommy Mendoza lasted just four innings Tuesday, giving up at least one run in every frame as Reno jumped out to a 5-0 lead. But Michael Ryan pounded a 2-run homer off Reno starter Cesar Valdez and Paul McAnulty added a run-scoring single in the sixth inning to cut the gap to 5-3.

The Bees had a chance to make it closer in the seventh, but base runners were stranded at the corners.

The Bees will return home on Sunday night to begin a four-game set vs. Tacoma. Fireworks in celebration of the Fourth of July will follow both Sunday and Monday night's games.

BEES WAX: Ryan Budde caught his 241st game in a Salt Lake uniform on Tuesday, tying him for second place with Damian Miller on the all-time franchise list. . . . Bourjos stole his 14th consecutive base without being caught on Wednesday. That ties him for the franchise record with Brian Raabe (1995) and Jamie Ogden (1997). . . . Attendance was 7,190.