Salt Lake Bees: River Cats a thorn in team's side

SALT LAKE CITY — It should come as a surprise to absolutely nobody that the Sacramento River Cats were once again a thorn in the side of the Salt Lake Bees.

Sacramento damaged Salt Lake's playoff hopes with a 7-4 win on Tuesday night at Spring Mobile Ballpark. The win completed both the series and season win for the River Cats against the Bees.

That's become an annual event, really. Not only did Sacramento knock the Bees out of the playoffs in both 2007 and 2008, but Salt Lake hasn't beaten Sacramento in a season series since 2002.

The good news for Salt Lake is that it remains just 2 1/2 games behind the PCL Pacific North Division leading Tacoma Rainiers, which lost at Reno on Tuesday. The Bees head out today for their final road trip — a five-game set at Colorado Springs — before finishing the year with eight home games against Fresno and Reno.

"We let too many scoring opportunities (get away)," said Bees manager Bobby Mitchell of the River Cats' most recent win over his team. "It should have been a closer game."

Ex-Bee Dallas McPherson continued his torrid series, pounding a two-run homer in the third inning to give the River Cats a 4-0 lead it would never relinquish.

Salt Lake had its chances but failed to take full advantage. The Bees loaded the bases in their half of the third but didn't to score any runs. Center fielder Tyson Auer finally got the Bees on the scoreboard in the fourth with a two-run triple, but was then stranded at third.

Sacramento, meanwhile, added a pair of runs in the fifth and another in the seventh to put the game away. Salt Lake scored a run on a Nick Gorneault sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh, and another one in the ninth on a Paul McAnulty single, but it was too little, too late.

Auer was the one bright spot for the Bees. The recent call-up had two more hits on Tuesday night after getting three hits on Monday. Prior to Monday's game he'd been 0-for-12 as a triple-A player.

"I started out slow, but I don't think it was a matter of being overmatched by the (triple-A) pitching," said Auer. "I just wasn't getting hits. I just stuck with it and I knew they would eventually fall for me."

The Bees are scheduled to start Fernando Rodriguez (4-5, 5.74 ERA) tonight against Colorado Springs lefty Josh Muecke (5-7, 5.37).

BEES WAX: Pitcher Bobby Mosebach was on the disabled list with right bicep tendinitis on Thursday. Mosebach appeared in 13 games for the Bees in 2010, owning a 2-1 record and 7.00 ERA. ... Mark Trumbo's home run on Monday was his 30th of the season. The franchise record is 32 set by Chad Rupp in 1997. ... Bees outfielder Terry Evans' season-high eight-game hitting streak, came to an end after he went 0-for-2 before coming out of the game due to injury after being hit by a pitch. ... Attendance on Tuesday was 6,221.

e-mail: lojo@desnews.com