Bees Bullets: Losing Streak Hits Five Games For Salt Lake Bees

Apr 28, 2023, 8:04 AM

Digital Sports Producer

SALT LAKE CITY – Defensive miscues, an inconsistency with putting the ball in play, and late-inning pitching collapses have the Salt Lake Bees scuffling.

Salt Lake (9-15, last in PCL West) dropped the first three games against El Paso (10-14, 4th in PCL East)

Nothing like a sweet left-handed swing! Mickey Moniak brings the Bees within three by blasting a homer 435 feet to center at 107.4 MPH 🚀 pic.twitter.com/EDJFHBc6rV

— Salt Lake Bees (@SaltLakeBees) April 28, 2023

The Bees have scored 136 runs this season, ahead of only Sugar Land’s anemic 92 runs scored. Salt Lake is the only team in the PCL West with a negative run differential (-16).

On the pitching side, Salt Lake’s bullpen owns a less-than-ideal 7.46 earned run average, second worst in the PCL. In the second-fewest bullpen innings, the Bees have allowed 20 home runs. Only Las Vegas (26) has allowed more.

Starters have pitched to the tune of a 4.56 ERA and the Bees have the second-most innings out of their starters in April.

Salt Lake Bees Transactions

Chase Silseth was scratched from his scheduled Tuesday night start, instead receiving the call to Los Angeles where Silseth will replace Austin Warren. Warren is being placed on the IL with right elbow inflammation.

Silseth’s first MLB appearance of 2023 showed exactly how much promise he has.

@Chase_Silseth got called up to The Show yesterday and was on 🔥 in his 2023 Angels debut. This 98.8 MPH fastball was the hardest pitch of his career and the hardest in 2023 by an Angel not named Shohei Ohtani.

2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K pic.twitter.com/O7a8bq50ul

— Salt Lake Bees (@SaltLakeBees) April 27, 2023

Game One

Salt Lake managed to best their six-game run total from last week, plating 13 but still found a way to lose 17-13 in an old-fashioned PCL slugfest on Tuesday night.

After scoring just 11 runs during their home stand against Reno, the Bees scored three first-inning runs on Tuesday night. Taylor Jones followed a Kevin Padlo RBI-double with his second home run of the year.

Taylor Jones getting the road trip started off right 😀 pic.twitter.com/lwfaej7Gkq

— Salt Lake Bees (@SaltLakeBees) April 26, 2023

In his next at-bat, Jones hit a line drive double that scored Jo Adell and gave his team a 4-0 lead.

In the fourth, Salt Lake answered an El Paso run by tacking on two more. David Fletcher doubled home Jared Oliva before scoring on a Michael Stefanic single to left.

Vintage David Fletcher pic.twitter.com/3O6YDL7VFO

— Salt Lake Bees (@SaltLakeBees) April 26, 2023

Oliva’s first home run of the season gave Salt Lake a four-run lead in the fifth. Fletcher and Adell each picked up RBI singles in the fifth to give the Bees a 10-4 lead halfway through the game.

Jared Oliva has left the building pic.twitter.com/LvkgMbGlIV

— Salt Lake Bees (@SaltLakeBees) April 26, 2023

El Paso added three in the bottom half of the fifth but Salt Lake answered with three of their own to maintain a six-run advantage at 13-7.

The Chihuahuas went on to score ten unanswered runs over the final three innings to get the win. Of four Bees relievers to appear in the game, Aaron Hernandez’s two earned runs were the fewest allowed. Ryan Smith walked five and allowed two hits with four earned runs crossing the plate in one inning of work.

Hernandez walked four but didn’t give up a hit in his two innings. Jhonathan Diaz followed Hernandez, allowing seven hits. Diaz was tagged for two home runs and six runs scored with five being earned. Cam Vieaux got the final five outs, giving up five hits and four earned runs in the process.

Don't want to talk about it pic.twitter.com/kbzBriAHWW

— Salt Lake Bees (@SaltLakeBees) April 26, 2023

Aaron Brooks (1-0) got the win while Vieaux (0-2) was saddled with the loss.

Game Two

Two Trey Cabbage home runs weren’t enough as the Bees fell 6-4 to El Paso.

Trailing 1-0 in the second inning, David Fletcher continued his hot start with the Bees, singling home Jordyn Adams. Fletcher is batting .250 with two extra-base hits and four RBI through six games since being sent down.

In the third with Salt Lake trailing 3-2, Cabbage blasted a solo home run to center. The 469-foot home run was the farthest-hit ball in professional baseball on Wednesday night.

That's why you eat your greens, kids.🥬 | @treycabbage pic.twitter.com/OaUvcBzA55

— Salt Lake Bees (@SaltLakeBees) April 27, 2023

Cabbage’s second homer of the evening tied the game at four and would be the last run of the game for the Bees.

Reiss Knehr (1-0) gets the win while Kenny Rosenberg (1-2) was saddled with the loss. Eric Hanhold (1) locked down his first save of 2023.

Game Three

Mickey Moniak’s late-inning heroics couldn’t put an end to the Bees losing streak as Alfonso Rivas’ second homer of the night gave the Chihuahuas an 8-7 walk-off win.

Salt Lake trailed 5-1 when Moniak’s solo homer brought them within three. Later in the inning, the first of two Jared Oliva triples scored Taylor Jones.

After Rivas, a former Chicago Cub, hit a two-run homer in the seventh, Moniak came to the plate in the eighth with two runners on and Salt Lake trailing 7-3. Ahead 2-0 in the count, Moniak launched a ball to left-center that cleared the fence and gave the Bees new life.

MICKEY MONIAK AGAIN!!! The former #1 overall pick goes deep in back-to-back innings with a 3-Run shot to left field. The Bees are back within one! pic.twitter.com/Qmpdxk6oyp

— Salt Lake Bees (@SaltLakeBees) April 28, 2023

One inning later, Jo Adell tied the score when his single to right scored Oliva following his second triple of the evening. Unfortunately for the Bees, Adell’s 21st RBI of the year only served to set the stage for El Paso’s walk-off.

Eric Hanhold (3-0) earned the win with Gerardo Reyes (0-1) taking the loss.

Angels, Bees & Baseball Miscellany

Angels rookie catcher Logan O’Hoppe saw his promising rookie season come to an abrupt end last week on a swing in Yankee Stadium. O’Hoppe has been diagnosed with a torn labrum and is expected to need 4-6 months before returning from surgery. Read more on the injury from MLB’s Doug Padilla here.

Injury Update for Logan O'Hoppe 🚨@Angels | #AngelsLive | @EricaLWeston pic.twitter.com/0fcvbGECjv

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) April 22, 2023

Monday

Despite this Taylor Ward grand slam robbery, Los Angeles couldn’t overcome the scuffling Oakland Athletics, falling under .500 at 11-12 with the extra innings loss on game one of the series.

TAYLOR WARD ROBS A GRAND SLAM‼️🤯@Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/SpS1PYHcrH

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) April 25, 2023

Wander Franco has a glove. I guess he doesn’t need it

Franco Wandered a long way to make this BAREHANDED catch.

(MLB x @GoogleCloud) pic.twitter.com/Kl3SDku0YL

— MLB (@MLB) April 25, 2023

Another day, another Rays record

The Rays become the first team to start 14-0 at home in the live ball era. pic.twitter.com/gjaU8pOHnD

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) April 25, 2023

Is it 1979 in Pittsburgh? The Pirates (16-7) are 8-2 in their last ten games and currently lead the NL Central. The Pirates have added to the good vibes by reaching an agreement with All-Star centerfielder Bryan Reynolds that will keep him in black & gold for the next eight seasons

Here to stay. 💛 pic.twitter.com/qtA0TiDtE3

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 26, 2023

Tuesday

Los Angeles used a four-run inning to defeat the Oakland Athletics 5-3 at the Big A

Scenes from a four-run frame 🖼️#GoHalos pic.twitter.com/u704dGH6UZ

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) April 26, 2023

Of all the weird stats and oddities in baseball, this one surprised me a little

The first time? 🤯

Seems like such a random, mundane thing to have never happened https://t.co/rK80IrzwFe

— Brian Preece (@bpreece24) April 26, 2023

A poorly-played ball in left allowed Miami Marlins’ 38-year-old Yuli Gurriel to leg out MLB’s first inside-the-park home run against Atlanta. No left-fielders were harmed in the making of this video

The first inside-the-park homer of the season goes to Yuli Gurriel.

(MLB x @loandepot) pic.twitter.com/55HlO5cl2g

— MLB (@MLB) April 26, 2023

Wednesday

The Angels cruised to an 11-3 win over the A’s on Wednesday night despite four stolen bases from Estuery Ruiz

Esteury Ruiz stole 4 bases in tonight's game. The last @MLB player with 4 stolen bases in a game was Jon Berti on 9/24/19. pic.twitter.com/agbIVTMcwv

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) April 27, 2023

After more than 1,100 career minor league games, Pittsburgh Pirates Drew Maggi realized a dream that had been a long time coming

Drew Maggi receives a standing ovation during his MLB debut for the @Pirates after 1,155 minor league games! 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/aJXSsO7urf

— MLB (@MLB) April 27, 2023

Thursday

Shohei Day in Los Angeles with Ohtani on the mound. While not his best day on the bump, Ohtani came one loud out shy of a cycle, lifting his team to a series win with the 8-7 victory.

Shohei Ohtani just missed hitting a homer to hit for the cycle on the same day he pitched. But it was caught at the warning track. A 389-foot fly out. pic.twitter.com/s9sMiVs7eZ

— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) April 27, 2023

Walk-Off Magic

TJ Friedl started with week by sending the Cincinnati Reds into a frenzy with his first career walk-off hit

First career walkoff for @TjFriedl1‼️ pic.twitter.com/1yPNrTC1Bb

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 25, 2023

The St. Louis Cardinals are off to a slow start. This two-run walk-off home run from Blake Sabol

Sabol sends 'em home. #WALKOFF pic.twitter.com/SwwYgl4oBf

— MLB (@MLB) April 26, 2023

Up Next

The Bees continue their road trip with three more games in El Paso. First pitch on Friday and Saturday night is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. (MT). Fans can expect a 12:05 p.m. first pitch on Sunday. Following Sunday’s game, the Bees return to Salt Lake for six games against the Tacoma Rainiers beginning Tuesday, May 2 at 6:35 p.m. (MT).

Listen to ‘Voice of the Bees’ Steve Klauke on KSL Sports Zone. All Salt Lake Bees games are featured on the KSL Sports app. Purchase tickets to see the Bees play at slbees.com.

KSL Sports coverage of the Salt Lake Bees can be found here