Salt Lake Bees not giving up hope in PCL chase

SALT LAKE CITY — With three games to go, Salt Lake is a game and a half behind division-leading Tacoma and is still scratching and clawing to stay alive in the Pacific Coast League pennant race.

On Friday night, the Bees won their fifth straight game, downing Reno 11-4 and rapping out 17 hits.

Salt Lake starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood, a 20-year-old making his first Triple-A start, retired the first two batters before Ed Rogers tripled and came home on a two-out single.

Chatwood, just called up from Double-A this week, was serving up 96 mph fastballs. He threw 5 2/3 innings before being lifted after giving up four runs.

"I was on a pitch count," said Chatwood about being lifted with no runners on base. "The difference up here at Triple-A baseball is that they hit more of your mistakes."

After sitting out Thursday night's game, a rested Hank Conger worked the Reno pitcher for four foul balls before lining a drive over the right-field fence to tie the game in the bottom of the first inning.

In the Salt Lake second, Terry Evans led off by driving the first pitch well over the left-field fence. In his last eight games, the red-hot Evans has 20 hits in 36 at-bats with 12 RBIs.

"I'm not afraid of getting down in the count," Evans said. "I'm hitting well with two strikes. I have a nice little rhythm going."

Indeed.

That translates to a .556 clip in the last eight games.

Evans recorded a bunt single and a double and finished off the game with an infield single to drive in a run.

Nate Sutton drove in three runs for the evening.

In the eighth inning, the Bees tacked on a bunch of insurance runs, ensuring Chatwood's first victory in a Bees uniform.

Manager Bobby Mitchell was pleased with his pitching as well.

"We have been short on relievers," he said, "and Bobby Cassevah is doing a great job."

Mark Trumbo slammed a three-run homer off the right-field foul pole in the eighth inning to add to his league-leading total of 36.

Mitchell knows that, even if the Bees win their last three games, they will still need Tacoma to lose.

"All we can do is keep breathing down their necks," he said.

The Bees host Reno today at 7 p.m.