Salt Lake Bees fall short in rally, settle for another split
It's been a while since the Salt Lake Bees have won a series.
And after Tuesday night's 7-6 loss to the Tacoma Rainiers, it'll be a while longer.
The outcome resulted in a 2-2 split, extending Salt Lake's streak of losing and/or tied series to five.
The Bees haven't gotten the best of an opponent since taking two of three games from Colorado Springs in mid-June.
At times, anyway, the drought appeared to be in peril in the latest outing at Spring Mobile Ballpark.
Trailing 1-0 after Brad Nelson's RBI single in the first, Salt Lake evened things up in the bottom of the inning after back-to-back doubles by Terry Evans and Sean Rodriguez.
Another productive two-base hit followed in the fourth. Brandon Wood doubled before scoring on a single from Adam Pavkovich.
Salt Lake's 2-1 lead, though, would eventually succumb to the long ball.
Tacoma hit a pair of homers to take control of the game.
The first blast came in the sixth, when Jeff Clement's two-run shot put the Rainiers ahead. The second homer — a solo effort by Bryan LaHair — followed an inning later.
Tacoma added a little more thunder in the ninth, when Jerry Owens had an RBI triple and Clement added a two-run double.
The Bees countered with a solo homer from Wood in the bottom of the inning to open a rally that kept folks in their seats until the very end.
After loading the bases with one out, Salt Lake scored twice on a Tacoma fielding error and added a run on a sacrifice fly by Nate Sutton.
The comeback bid fell short, however, when Sean Rodriguez struck out with runners on first and third to end the game.
Salt Lake continues its longest homestand of the season with a five-game series against Colorado Springs. Bees RHP Shane Loux (0-2, 6.30 ERA) and Sky Sox LHP Greg Smith (1-0, 1.93 ERA) are the scheduled starters in the opener.
It's a pivotal series just prior to the Triple-A All-Star break.
Division-leading Colorado Springs (49-36) holds a 5 1/2-game lead over second-place Salt Lake (44-42).
"We've got a big series coming up," Evans said earlier in the week. "If we can finish strong right here before the break, we can put ourselves in a good position."
BEES WAX: Tuesday's attendance was 4,813 ... Catcher Chris Rosenbaum has been promoted to the Bees from Single-A Rancho Cucamonga ... Two former Salt Lake players — Torii Hunter of the Angels and Francisco Rodriguez of the Mets — have been selected to play in Tuesday's Major League All-Star Game in St. Louis.
E-MAIL: dirk@desnews.com
Comments
- Mourners grieve for soldiers killed 4:42 p.m.
- Aggies beat Spartans in snowy Logan 4:22 p.m.
- Study: Costs rise under health bill 4:13 p.m.
- Williams to miss Cavs game, too 4:06 p.m.
- Weber St. gets past No. Arizona 4:01 p.m.
- In Asia, Obama pushing arms control 3:50 p.m.
- Texas rolls 47-14 over Baylor 3:48 p.m.
- Snowstorm hits Utah; 1 dead in crash 3:43 p.m.
- Montana wins Big Sky with win 3:43 p.m.
- Rep. bashes Dems over health care 3:41 p.m.
- Apostle's wife felt comfort in attack
- Can BYU root for (ick) Utah Utes?
- Short-handed Jazz fly past Sixers
- D-Will home for daughter
- Bench proves fruitful for Y.
- Utes excited for 'dream' game
- Born of water and the spirit
- Snowstorm hits Utah; 1 dead in crash
- Woods Cross refinery to shut down
- GameDay in Fort Worth
- SLC council OKs gay rights policies
353 - Editorial: Mormons and gay rights
199 - Senators want food tax restored
164 - Will state consider gay rights law?
147 - Letters: Strange breed in Utah
129 - Can BYU root for (ick) Utah Utes?
123 - Utes remain silent about BCS
120 - S.L. vote pending on gay protections
113 - Pratt pleads not guilty to sex charges
105 - Celtics crush Jazz
104
Mathis, Its's Dave Mathews dude! Who are these guys? Where do they find...
Homeland Security was the biggest waste of tax payers's money. My heart...
why dont you have some class
They didn't make finals :(
If BYU would have lost this one, it would have been almost as bad as being...
ohhh...what a nightmare to think about...but if I were, I would probably hold...
Happiness is an individual thing. It doesn't matter where you live. It...
I love BYU! I rise & Shout each morning! (early) But I love to watch the...
I remember last year after the championship game, that Alta didn't beat...
Utah will be victorious and BYU will be left to ramble on about beating a 6-6...

You can be the first to comment on this story.