Seeks offense » Transaction list spells defeat for Bees.
Salt Lake Bees manager Keith Johnson maintains that whenever a roster change is made â€" if a player is sent down, sent up or sent out â€" there is always a ripple effect.
After the past two weeks, the ripple has become a tidal wave.
At a glance
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Las Vegas 7, Salt Lake 6
The Salt Lake Bees gave up a five-run lead Monday afternoon and fell to the host Las Vegas 51s, 7-6, completing a four-game sweep.
With the loss, the Bees have dropped 10 of their past 11 games.
The Bees took a 5-0 lead by the fourth inning on home runs by Matt Long and John Hester. But Las Vegas stormed back in the fourth, scoring two runs to narrow the lead. The 51s first led the game in the sixth with four runs, including a three-run homer by Anthony Gose.
The Bees tied the game in the seventh, but David Cooper knocked in the winning run in the eighth.
The Bees (15-17), who open an eight-game homestand Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. against Round Rock at Spring Mobile Ballpark, have lost a handful of important bats. In the process, Salt Lake has also lost 10 of their past 11 games, including an 8-0 shellacking at Las Vegas on Monday.
"We hit a rough patch," Johnson said. "We were due to hit a bump in the road. At the same time, I have confidence in those guys in the locker room."
It is the locker room that has taken the hits.
The most visible change came when the Los Angeles Angels recalled Mike Trout. At the time, the 20-year-old outfielder was hitting .403 with five triples and 21 runs scored.
But Trout was not the only change. Veteran infielder Jorge Cantu led the Bees with four homers and 22 RBIs when he requested and received his release.
Infielder Alexi Amarista was traded, and catcher Hank Conger has been on the disabled list with a sprained elbow. Conger was hitting .357.
Infielder Andrew Romine has remained one of the few consistent Bees. He not only collected two of Salt Lake’s three hits Monday, but also had raised his average to .345. Romine has also stolen nine of 11 bases and lifted his slugging percentage nearly 70 points from last season.
"It’s easy when the guys around you are doing well, too," Romine said. "When those guys hit me over and drive me in, all I have to do is worry about is doing my job."
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More people will have to begin chipping in. In the Bees’ losing stretch, they have gone from being the best hitting team in the PCL with an average better than .300 to one below .290.
Twitter: @tribmarty
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