Salt Lake Bees: Bad homestand ends with another loss

SALT LAKE CITY — It's beginning to sound like a broken record when it comes to the Salt Lake Bees.

They get behind early. Then make a comeback of sorts, only to still lose — often to the Tacoma Rainiers.

The Rainiers downed the Bees at Spring Mobile Ballpark for the fourth straight night in similar fashion on Wednesday, this time 5-2.

Tacoma is now 12-4 against Salt Lake this season. The good news for the Bees is that they won't play Tacoma again this season.

The bad news for the Bees, however, is that they now are six games behind the Rainiers in the standings.

"Tacoma took it to us," said Bees first baseman Mark Trumbo. "They had a lot of timely hitting and we just didn't produce. I'm disappointed that they swept us. They attacked from the beginning of the game. Each and every game, we were behind and we couldn't get going early enough."

It was an opponent's first four-game sweep of the Bees at Spring Mobile Ballpark in more than a year.

"It was a bad homestand — real bad," said Bees manager Bobby Mitchell. "Now, we have to go on the road and regroup."

The Rainiers got to Salt Lake starter Daniel Davidson in the second inning with back-to-back home runs by Greg Halman and David Winfree.

Davidson, who had won his previous six decisions for the Bees, had to leave the game in the third inning with a sore midsection, and things went from bad to worse for Salt Lake.

Tacoma increased its lead to 5-0 off Bees reliever Barrett Browning. He tied a dubious franchise record in the process, walking four consecutive batters at one point.

Salt Lake had the bases loaded in the fifth inning but couldn't score then made a minirally in the sixth when Terry Evans blasted a two-run home run.

But once again, it wasn't enough.

"We've got to get better," said Mitchell.

The Bees will play a four-game series in Las Vegas over the next three days — with a doubleheader on Saturday — before having several days off for the annual Triple-A All-Star Game.

BEES WAX: Veteran infielder Luis Figueroa, most recently with the Las Vegas 51s, has been signed by the parent Los Angeles Angels and assigned to the Bees. Figueroa spent last season with the Bees. He was hitting .326 in 62 games for the 51s before recently being released. ... The Bees also welcomed back infielder Nate Sutton, who had been on the disabled list with a lower-back strain since June 26. ... Attendance at Wednesday's game was 6,108.

e-mail: lojo@desnews.com