SALT LAKE CITY — The Bees got on the board early Tuesday night at Smith’s Ballpark, and scored just enough to edge out the Redbirds and get a 7-5 win, their third in a row.
The Bees' night was characterized by a balanced offensive effort as well as solid and timely pitching.
“We are playing a good brand of baseball and I am comfortable with how our guys are playing,” manager Keith Johnson noted of his team’s recent play.
All but one Bee recorded a hit, with four putting together multi-hit evenings. Quintin Berry was 2 for 3 with an RBI and two runs scored, and Sherman Johnson went 1 for 4 with a team-best two RBIs.
Most of the damage done by Salt Lake came in the second inning. Rey Navarro led off the inning with a double and was driven home on a single by Berry. Juan Graterol was next and scored Berry with an RBI single. Graterol would later score on an error by the Redbirds. Ryan Jackson and Todd Cunningham pulled off a double steal to put runners on second and third, which enabled Johnson to drive in two runs with his single and give the Bees a 6-1 lead.
The defining moment of the game came in the top of the eighth. The Redbirds got to Bees reliever Chris O’Grady to the tune of two runs, and trimmed the Bees' lead down to one. Cody Satterwhite was brought in with the bases loaded and no outs and proceeded to get out of the inning without allowing a run to score.
“You talk about a closer, he (Satterwhite) was it. He came in when the game could have been won or lost and did a great job. He did what he has been doing for us all year,” Johnson said when asked about Satterwhite’s clutch performance.
HOME COOKIN’: With their latest victory, the Bees have now won nine straight games at Smith’s Ballpark. The franchise record for consecutive home wins is 11, which was set in June 2005. The Bees are 18-7 this year at home, as opposed to 7-11 on the road. The Bees' bats have been much better in Salt Lake as the team sports a .310 batting average at home compared to .237 on the road. The hot bats have made up for the Bees giving up 1.5 more runs per game at home.
HELLO AGAIN: RHPs A.J. Achter and Al Alburquerque were both sent outright to Salt Lake by the Angels on Tuesday. Achter pitched in seven games with Los Angeles this season, where he posted a 4.76 ERA. He is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA with the Bees. Alburquerque, a native of San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, is 1-0 with a 2.40 ERA with the Bees. He has also recorded a team high six saves for Salt Lake this year. He is best known for the five seasons he spent with the Detroit Tigers from 2011-15. Alburquerque’s best year came in 2011 when he went 6-1 with a 1.87 ERA in 41 games.
Email: twood@bonneville.com