After a 2-3 home series against El Paso, the Salt Lake Bees hit the road for a four game set against the Reno Aces.
After a 2-3 home series against El Paso, the Salt Lake Bees hit the road for a four game set against the Reno Aces.
Last season, the Bees won 10 of 16 against the Aces, including an early August victory over former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke. Early this year, Salt Lake and Reno boast the Pacific Coast League's highest team batting averages. The Bees lead the league with a .310 average, while the Aces' .296 clip ranks second. Five Salt Lake regulars have batting averages above .300, led by Eric Young, Jr. and Ramón Flores. Young, Jr.'s .374 mark ranks sixth in the PCL, while Flores' .364 average is good for eighth. Several Aces also rank among the league batting leaders, as Christian Walker leads the PCL with 28 RBIs, Ketel Marte's 41 hits pace the league and Oswaldo Arcia's .701 slugging percentage is second behind El Paso's Jamie Romak.
Salt Lake and Reno each feature one player on a lengthy hitting streak. Sherman Johnson has recorded at least one hit in each of the Bees' last 10 games, while Reno outfielder Reymond Fuentes enters the series with a hit in 11 consecutive contests.
In addition to their hot hitters, both the Bees and Aces feature highly regarded relievers. MLB.com rates Salt Lake's Keynan Middleton as the fifth-best prospect in the Angels' farm system, and Middleton has looked the part lately. Over his last seven outings, the right-hander has not allowed an earned run, picking up two saves and surrendering only five hits. Reno reliever Jimmie Sherfy ranks 13th on MLB.com's list of the top prospects in the Arizona Diamondbacks system and has allowed one earned run in his first eight outings this season.
Sherfy is one of six active Aces featured in MLB.com's list of the top 30 Diamondbacks prospects. Arizona's top prospect, pitcher Anthony Banda, is scheduled to start for Reno Friday night in the final game of the series, while fellow pitcher Frank Duncan (24th) and infielders Jack Reinheimer (18th), Ildemaro Vargas (26th) and Christian Walker (30th) are also among Arizona's top 30 prospects. Bees fans may recognize a familiar face behind the plate for the Aces, as Reno catcher Hank Conger appeared in 202 games for Salt Lake from 2010 to 2012.
Salt Lake returns to Smith's Ballpark after the four-game series against Reno for an eight game homestand against American Conference foes Omaha and Iowa which includes exciting promotions such as Wizard Night, Kids' Day, Teacher Appreciation Night and Pack the Park Pink Night. For tickets and additional information, visit slbees.com.
At a Glance:
Salt Lake Bees (15-10) vs. Reno Aces (14-11), May 2-May 5 at Greater Nevada Field in Reno
Game Times/Probable Pitchers:
Tuesday, May 2: Salt Lake's Luis Diaz (1-0, 5.40 ERA) vs. Reno's Zack Godley (1-1, 2.55 ERA) at 7:35 PM.
Wednesday, May 3: TBA vs. Reno's Keyvius Sampson (2-1, 4.96 ERA) at 7:35 PM
Thursday, May 4: Salt Lake's Manny Bañuelos (2-2, 4.78 ERA) vs. Reno's Braden Shipley (3-1, 4.18 ERA) at 12:35 PM
Friday, May 5: Salt Lake's Vicente Campos (0-1, 27.00 ERA) vs. Reno's Anthony Banda (2-1, 4.94 ERA) at 7:35 PM
