For the second time in eight days, the Salt Lake Buzz blew an 8-0 lead in losing 11-10 to the Omaha Royals Sunday afternoon at Franklin Quest Field.
The loss caused the Buzz to drop the series against the Royals, three games to one.Just over a week ago, the Buzz raced out to an 8-0 advantage to division-leader Fresno before falling 12-9. Sunday it was more of the same, and that left Buzz manager Phil Roof perplexed.
"When you score 10 runs in a game you should win," he said. "We didn't finish the game off."
According to Roof, it comes down to pitching.
"It all boils down to pitching - quality pitching. Giving up 11 runs is not quality pitching," he said. "Frankie got us through seven innings with an 8-4 lead. The bullpen is supposed to come in and hold it."
The bullpen has been a problem for the Buzz all year. Counting Sunday's loss, the bullpen has lost 13 games (not all of them were save opportunities, however).
Buzz starter Frank Rodriguez turned in seven stellar innings except for the slight hiccup in the fourth when the Royals tagged him for four runs - two on a homer by Steve Sisco, who finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Ernie Young added a solo homer and Chris Turner had an RBI single. Rodriguez struck out eight and walked just one.
It didn't appear that it would hurt, since by that time the Buzz already had the 8-zip lead. Salt Lake scored single runs in the first and another in the second before exploding for six more in the bottom of the third, all coming with two outs.
Buchanan singled in between outs by Jon Shave and Jamie Ogden to start the rally. Marc Lewis singled home Buchanan, then Jeff Smith singled. Latham followed with an RBI single, Esteban Beltre produced a two-run double and Corey Koskie followed with the a towering homer to deep right field.
Then the Royals began chipping away. They added the four runs in the fourth, then took the lead for good in the eighth by tagging relievers Travis Miller and Gus Gandarillas for six and one run, respectively, in the inning.
Scott Leius provided the big blow - a grand slam - and Jeremy Carr added a two-run single and Sisco an RBI single to round out the Royal rally.
Behind Sisco, Leius was 2-for-5 with four RBI, while Beltre, Koskie and Buchanan all had two RBI for Salt Lake.
With the loss, the Buzz, who have lost 9 of 11, fall to 33-33, while the red-hot Royals improve to 36-31.
The Buzz welcome the Memphis Redbirds to Franklin Quest for the first time this year, as Buzz lefty Mark Redman (3-1, 3.38 ERA) opposes Redbird righty Doug Mlicki (1-2, 4.33) Monday at 7 p.m.