PCL1 Salt Lake Bees

Playoff Preview: Bees vs. Las Vegas 51s

Published on September 4, 2013 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Salt Lake Bees News Release


Playoff baseball returns to Salt Lake City for the first time in five years on Wednesday when the Las Vegas 51s come to town to take on the Salt Lake Bees in the first round of the PCL Playoffs. This is the first postseason action for the Bees since they were eliminated in the opening round of the 2008 postseason by the Sacramento River Cats. This will be the first playoff appearance in 11 years for the 51s, who have switched major league affiliations twice since they last reached the postseason. The first two games of the best of five series will be at Spring Mobile Ballpark on Wednesday and Thursday, with Games 3-5 scheduled for Friday-Sunday at Las Vegas' Cashman Field.

While this will be the first postseason meetings between the two teams, they got to know each other well over the course of the 2013 season. The 51s drew first blood, as Las Vegas took three of four against the Bees in late-May. The Bees and 51s split the first two games of the series after ninth-inning rallies fell short for both teams before the Bees blew a 7-5 lead in game three and a 5-1 lead in the finale to drop the series. It would be the last series the Bees would lose until the end of July, during which they would move to the front of the Pacific Northern Division.

The Bees would return to Cashman Field on June 22 riding a six-game winning streak, but the 51s ended the run in the first game as they defeated Salt Lake 4-1, punching out the Bees 13 times. The Bees downed the 51s 6-3 in the second game, with all six of their runs coming in the last three innings, while Las Vegas took game three 6-5 on the strength of a five-run seventh inning. The teams were tied 4-4 entering the ninth inning of the finale before Roberto Lopez hit a pinch-hit three-run home run, igniting the Bees offense as they defeated the 51s 10-4 to earn the series split. It was just the seventh pinch-hit home run in Salt Lake history.

The 51s visited Salt Lake for a three-game series on July 8, with extraordinary starts by Matt Shoemaker and Barry Enright sending the Bees to victory in games one and three. Shoemaker allowed just one run on five hits over seven innings, striking out eight during the 7-1 Bees victory. After the 51s took the second game 8-5, Enright shut out Las Vegas for six innings in the finale, and the Bees held off a late rally to take the rubber match 7-4.

The 51s second trip to Spring Mobile Ballpark in 2013 went much better than the first, as the 51s obliterated the Bees by taking four out of five games at Salt Lake's home ballpark during the heart of the playoff chase. Las Vegas scored two runs in the ninth of game one to take the opener 6-4, while the Bees won the second game 10-8. But the Bees would record just three hits in the third game of the series, falling 6-3, and Las Vegas rallied from blowing an early six-run lead with seven unanswered runs to win game four 14-8. The 51s would then score four runs in the ninth inning of the finale to defeat the Bees 6-3, the first and only time Salt Lake would lose a game in which they lead entering the ninth inning.

The Bees have roughed up Las Vegas pitching in 2013 to the tune of a .315 average, their highest mark against Pacific Conference opponents. Tommy Field (.404/.509/.617), Drew Heid (.467/.619/.667), Roberto Lopez (.432, nine RBI), Andy Marte (.400, five runs scored over five games), and Efren Navarro (.440, 10 RBI, nine runs scored) have all particularly enjoyed their time opposing the 51s this season. Meanwhile, none of the four Bees who have posted sub-.200 batting averages against Las Vegas this season are currently on the team.

Las Vegas has been equally effective against the Bees this year, hitting .308 off of the Bees while launching 19 home runs over 16 contests. The Bees, in comparison, have gone deep just 10 times during the season series. The 51s will be missing two of their biggest bee killers during the series, however, as September call-ups have stripped the 51s of outfielders Zach Lutz (.366, 12 RBI vs. Bees) and Matt den Dekker (.400, three home runs, 10 RBI vs. Bees).

With all of the offensive numbers put up, it is no surprise that pitchers have struggled during the season series between the Bees and 51s. Salt Lake has posted a 6.15 ERA against Las Vegas this year, with Bees starters recording just three victories in 16 starts. Matt Shoemaker, Salt Lake's scheduled starter for the opener, is one of the only Bees hurlers to have had any amount of success against Las Vegas this season. Shoemaker is 1-0 with a 2.18 ERA against the 51s in 2013, striking out 22 over 20.2 innings pitched while allowing just 23 hits. Barry Enright and Billy Buckner are both 1-0 against Vegas this season, but have combined to allow 18 runs over 21.1 innings.

The 51s have fared marginally better against the Bees, but still have a 5.62 ERA against Salt Lake despite winning the season series by a comfortable margin. They may also be missing their most effective weapon against the Bees during the series, as Jacob deGrom was placed on the disabled list on August 29. deGrom was lights out against the Bees this year, going 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA over three starts against Salt Lake, allowing just 13 hits over 18 innings. In his final start against the Bees, deGrom carried a perfect game into the sixth inning during the 51s 6-3 victory over the Bees. Six of other seven Las Vegas pitchers to have started a game against the Bees this year have ERAs over 5.00.

The Bees were the second team in the PCL to punch their ticket to the postseason, but will enter the playoffs enduring one of their most difficult stretches of the season. The Bees have lost 12 of their last 16 games, and were swept at home by the cellar-dwelling Reno Aces to close out the regular season. After going 37-19 across June and July, the Bees slumped to just 15-17 over August and September.

Las Vegas has been trending the opposite direction, securing their division title by winning 21 games in August. Each victory was necessary, as the team that the 51s outpaced to win their division, the Sacramento River Cats, matched Las Vegas step-for-step with 20 victories during August, leaving them just two games behind the division-champion 51s.

Games One and Two at Spring Mobile Ballpark are scheduled to begin at 6:35 p.m. MT. Friday's contest in Las Vegas will begin at 8:05 p.m. MT, while the games on Saturday and Sunday are set to get underway at 1:05 p.m. MT The winner of the series will advance to take on either the Omaha Storm Chasers or the Oklahoma City RedHawks for the PCL title. Games can be heard live on 1280 The Zone and at slbees.com.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from September 4, 2013


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