All afternoon, the Salt Lake pitching staff was playing with fire until it finally got burned in the top of the ninth as John Lindsey belted a three-run homer to lead Las Vegas to a 6-3 win over the Bees on Sunday afternoon.

Three Salt Lake pitchers worked out of jam after jam, stranding nine Las Vegas runners through eight innings, but the 51s broke open the tied game with a long ball in the ninth.

Jason Repko reached on an error, and Terry Tiffee walked to set the table for Lindsey's shot off Salt Lake's Kevin Jepsen with one out in the ninth.

"We were lucky to be in the game in the ninth inning, I thought, because we didn't play very well," Salt Lake manager Bobby Mitchell said.

Salt Lake starter Shane Loux, bidding for his second-straight win and fourth in six starts, allowed seven hits in the first four frames and found himself working out of jams before the 51s finally got to him.

In the first inning, Loux, who has a team-high eight wins, surrendered a run on two hits and a walk, but he was bailed out with a double-play ball.

One inning later, he got Xavier Paul to ground out with the bases loaded to end another Las Vegas threat.

A double-play ball in the third erased a lead-off single, but the 51s finally got to him in the fourth — although it wasn't entirely his fault.

Angel Chavez and Sergio Garcia recorded back-to-back singles, and Chavez scored from second on a throwing error by Salt Lake catcher Tim Duff, whose pick-off attempt of Garcia at first ended up in the Salt Lake bullpen down the right-field line, allowing Chavez to score.

Garcia, who went to second on the throw, eventually scored on a groundout by Wilkin Ruan to take a 3-1 lead.

Loux (8-4) left after six innings and allowed three runs (all earned) on nine hits while walking three and striking out one.

Salt Lake (45-24) chipped away at the lead beginning with a solo homer by Brandon Wood in the fourth.

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E-mail: jhinton@desnews.com