Salt Lake Bees: Slumping Bees lose again; skid now at 6 straight games

Despite a recent downward swing, things looked to be setting up nicely for a Salt Lake Bees turnaround entering Tuesday's game against the Fresno Grizzlies.

After all, the Bees were well rested following a rare day off on Monday after a rough road trip to Sacramento, Calif. Plus they were in the friendly confines of Spring Mobile Ballpark, where they have had plenty of success this season. In addition, they got their ace from last season back from the parent Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for a rehab start.

But it didn't help.

The Bees, at the halfway point of the Pacific Coast League season, are officially in a slump after dropping their sixth consecutive game, this one a 8-1 shellacking by the Grizzlies.

"We're in a funk right now," said Bees manager Bobby Mitchell. "We're really not executing in any aspect of the game ... Things kind of snowball, and you lose a little confidence, and I think that's where we are at right now."

Shane Loux, last season's PCL pitcher of the year with the Bees and current Angel, started for Salt Lake. But Loux has been on the disabled list since May 24 with right-shoulder inflammation, and he is still trying to get back into pitching shape. He was limited to 40 pitches on Tuesday, and he looked a little rusty, as he gave up two runs and five hits in 22?3 innings of work.

Salt Lake, which was atop the PCL's Pacific North standings and 10 games above .500 a week ago, dropped to 38-34. The Bees now trail Colorado Springs by 2.5 games in the standings.

Still, with 72 games remaining in the 144-game season, Mitchell knows there is still plenty of baseball yet to be played this season.

"There is no panic involved, it's just a stretch that all teams go through sometimes," said Mitchell. "During a season, you hope you don't go through too many games like this, but we're very capable of turning it around."

The Bees actually looked like they would make a game of it in the third, when they cut the 2-0 deficit in half on an RBI triple by centerfielder Brad Coon. But Salt Lake was unable to score Coon from second with one out, as Brandon Wood grounded into a double play to end the inning.