Salt Lake Bees: Bee-utiful start -- Streaking Bees win 13th

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Apr 28, 2008 | by Jon Ringwood Deseret News

If you're the hottest act in town, what do you do next?

Take it on the road and see how it plays in Memphis and Nashville.

The way the Salt Lake Bees have dominated the Pacific Coast League in April, it may be time to see if they can make it play in the blues and country music capitals of America.

After Sunday's 8-1 win to sweep their four-game homestand against the Fresno Grizzlies, the Bees are gone for eight games before returning in May to face Albuquerque. By the time they get back, who knows what awaits them.

Salt Lake pitcher Nick Adenhart went eight innings surrendering only three hits and three walks while striking out five batters. Even the run was unearned in his terrific outing that included four 1-2-3 innings. The only time

he ran into trouble, the defense shut down the threats.

Salt Lake saw its first nine batters reach base, and except for a couple of base-running snafus, might have put up more than the five runs to spot Adenhart an early -- and as it turned out -- insurmountable lead. When Reggie Willits struck out to end the inning, the Bees had batted around, had rocked Fresno starter Ryan Sadowski for six straight hits and had accounted for three RBIs before a pair of walks and a double by Bobby Wilson accounted for the final two runs.

"It was a little tough after the long first inning," Adenhart said, "but I just psyched myself up and went out there and knew I could be aggressive. My best pitch was the change-up. I threw it in all kinds of different situations and got some good punch-outs."

Sadowski, Adenhart's opponent, would last only a third of another inning before being replaced by Gino Espineli, who momentarily silenced the Bees' bats for four innings until Salt Lake added a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh on Dee Brown's 150th career home run.

Newly called up Milan Dinga, who pitched for the Orem Owlz in 2007, came on in the ninth and faced five batters to retire the side and give Salt Lake its 21st win of the season against only one loss.

The 21-win mark ties the best month -- August 1998 -- set by the Buzz. It also has the team playing loose and relaxed.

"It sure makes my job a lot easier," said manager Bobby Mitchell. "I have to keep reminding these guys how special this time is. Hopefully we can stay on an even keel, avoid a lot of mistakes and learn from them and keep going."

His message seems to have gotten across.

"When you're winning, your energy level is higher," Adenhart said. "It's a lot of little things adding up to success."

BEELINES: Attendance Sunday was 6,014. Through the first two home stands, the Bees are averaging 5,957. ... Dinga joined the Bees' depleted pitching staff from extended spring training, and catcher Derrick Thomas was sent there. ... With an infield single in his first at-bat Sunday, Bees outfielder Brad Coon has reached base safely in 20 straight games.

E-mail: jringwood@desnews.com