Salt Lake Bees' tailspin continues

A storm front that brought a lengthy interruption to Friday night's game at Spring Mobile Ballpark merely delayed the inevitable — another Salt Lake Bees setback.

The latest loss, their eighth in nine games, was a 8-5 decision to Fresno.

The visiting Grizzlies capitalized on a quick start and impatience by the Bees, who had six batters retired on one pitch apiece, to prevail in the series finale.

Fresno built a 5-0 lead before bad weather halted action for one hour and 36 minutes in the second inning. When play resumed, the Grizzlies quickly extended their advantage to six runs.

John Bowker and Emmanuel Burris powered the early outburst by driving in two runs apiece. Jesus Guzman and Ben Copeland knocked in single scores for Fresno.

Trailing 6-0, Salt Lake didn't respond until the fourth inning. That's when Ben Johnson put the Bees on the board with an RBI single.

Fresno, however, matched it in the top of the fifth on a leadoff homer by Bowker.

It stayed that way until Salt Lake reduced the deficit by scoring on a throwing error by Fresno in the seventh.

The Grizzlies, though, fired back with a run-scoring single by Guzman in the ninth to make it 8-2.

Before the game was complete, Salt Lake managed to cut the gap in half on a three-run homer by Terry Evans in the bottom of the ninth inning.

In a rare scheduling twist, the two teams will square off for eight straight days. The next four games will be played in Fresno.

Bees RHP Trevor Bell (1-0, 0.00 ERA) and Grizzlies RHP Billy Sadler (5-2, 5.05 ERA) are the scheduled starters in tonight's series opener.

BEESWAX: The attendance was 8,873. ... RHP Rudy Seanez was activated from the disabled list. Seanez appeared in three games for Salt Lake before being sidelined with a right pectoral muscle strain on June 4. ... RHP Kyle Hurst, the son of former major leaguer and St. George native Bruce Hurst, made his Triple-A debut for the Bees with a relief appearance in the ninth. He allowed two hits and an earned run with a strikeout and a walk.

E-MAIL: dirk@desnews.com