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Series recap: Salt Lake drops five of six to Omaha
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- Series recap: Salt Lake drops five of six to Omaha
George Klassen throws a pitch at the Ballpark. | Salt Lake Bees Photographry
It was a tough week for the Salt Lake Bees as they fell in five of the six games against the Omaha Storm Chasers. In the only interleague matchup of the season for the Bees, the hosts solved the Kansas City Royals top affiliate once, taking Saturday's contest. However, despite the action on the field, it was a busy end to a nine-game homestand that included Pioneer Day celebrations, an in-game rain delay and Sunday's Abejas Day fiesta to conclude the week.
Series recap
Salt Lake entered the second series of the homestand with momentum, taking two of three from Reno in a weekend set. However, a 44-minute rain delay in the fourth inning on Tuesday zapped the momentum and allowed Omaha to start a comeback they would complete with a 9-8 series opening win. Six early scores for the visitors paced the Storm Chasers to an 8-3 win on Wednesday night.
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Salt Lake looked primed to take Thursday's tilt, scoring nine runs over the first six innings. Holding a 9-8 lead with two outs and two strikes in the ninth, Omaha's Gavin Cross came up clutch with a go-ahead grand slam to steal the 12-9 win. The Bees fell behind 8-1 on Pioneer Day and despite their best efforts, could not complete the comeback in a 10-7 Friday defeat, their fourth in a row.
Thanks to three homers and another George Klassen masterclass, Salt Lake snapped the skid on Saturday night, collecting an 8-4 win in their 100th game of the season. Jeimer Candelario and Kyren Paris hit back-to-back longballs in a game-changing four-run seventh inning to get the hosts back into the win column. The six-game set culminated in a low-scoring affair that landed Salt Lake on the wrong side, dropping the finale 4-3 on Abejas Night. The Bees sit at 49-52 with 48 games left and are 10-17 in the second half of the season. They will have a chance to gain some ground on league leading Sugar Land, as they travel to Texas for a six-game set this week.
Prospect watch
Following the All-Star break, MLB teams shuffled their Top 30 prospect rankings, but two Bees remain near the top of the Angels' list. Outfielder Nelson Rada slipped just one spot to No. 3 overall and is now the organization's second-highest ranked position player behind Single-A's Hayden Alvarez. Rada, who represented the Angels in the Futures Game, stayed scorching hot against Omaha. The 20-year-old went 10-for-24 (.417) with three doubles, a triple, four runs scored, two RBIs and a walk during the series. The performance raised his season batting average to .291 with a .767 OPS, leaving him just three hits shy of 100 on the year in 88 games.
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The Double-A Gold Glove winner committed two errors during the series but more than made up for them defensively, highlighted by a Superman-like diving catch near the right-field foul line in Sunday's finale. If Salt Lake hopes to climb back into the playoff race, Rada's all-around production will continue to be a key factor.
Will George Klassen ever slow down? That's becoming a fair question as the right-hander continues to dominate Triple-A hitters while inching closer to another opportunity with the Angels. The organization's No. 9 prospect in the updated rankings turned in another outstanding outing, recording his seventh quality start of the season and leading Salt Lake to its lone win of the series. Klassen tossed 6.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits while striking out seven, issuing no walks for the first time since his season debut on March 29 in Las Vegas.
The only damage came on a two-run homer as he threw 101 pitches. Klassen has been one of the Pacific Coast League's hottest pitchers in July, going 3-0 with a 2.67 ERA. Over the month, he has struck out 32 batters while walking 11, holding opponents to a .176 batting average. On the season, the 23-year-old is 6-6 with a 4.13 ERA.
Salt Lake welcomed three rehab assignments to its roster during the series, including 2021 World Series champion Travis d'Arnaud, infielder Adam Frazier and flamethrowing right-hander Ben Joyce .
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Joyce was masterful in his two appearances with the Bees as he continues working his way back from shoulder surgery. The righty reached 103.2 MPH, recording the fastest pitch in all of Minor League Baseball this season. Across two innings of work, Joyce allowed just one hit while striking out one and keeping the opposition scoreless. He also broke multiple bats along the way, a reminder of the kind of overpowering stuff that made him one of baseball's most electric arms. Joyce faced seven batters during his rehab outings as he continues progressing toward a return to the Angels.
Around the bases
Fireworks lit up the sky on Friday's Pioneer Day, while the series and homestand concluded on Sunday with the second Abejas Night of the season and a postgame drone show. Plenty more is ahead when the Bees return to South Jordan for the first week of August, with Pickleball Night, Harry Potter Night, fireworks, drone show and a Bark in the Park Sunday.
What's on deck
Up next is a trip to the Lone Star State where the Bees will face off against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Triple-A, Houston Astros ). The two squads square off for six games in Space City, starting on Tuesday at 6:05 p.m. MDT from Constellation Field.
Angels Prospect Nelson Rada singles at the Ballpark. | Salt Lake Bees Photography
Kyren Paris crosses plate after hitting a home run. | Salt Lake Bees Photography
