Clay's pitching secures victory over Nashville

The Bees' wheel of players kept turning Friday when they signed free agent pitcher Caleb Clay. On Sunday, Clay excelled, allowing one earned run and three hits with two strikeouts in 52⁄3 innings in a 4-1 win over Nashville.

"I didn't realize how small the zone was over [in Korea]," said Clay, who used to play for a South Korean team. "Today, I felt like some pitches that were balls were actually strikes."

Clay allowed only one run and put the Bees in a good position, up 3-1 going into the sixth.

The right-handed pitcher was originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the first round of the 2006 MLB June Amateur Draft. He started this season with Hanwha in the Korean league, signing with the Angels before being sent down to Salt Lake. This was his first game back in the U.S.

"I like the organization," said Clay, "Everyone has been super friendly and helpful. I am glad to be here."

Clay's start ties the record for different pitchers used by the Bees in one season with 35. Erik Bennett, the Bees' pitching coach, said he has gotten to "meet a lot of interesting people."

Bennett said that most are veterans, so they need less technical coaching and more fine-tuning. He said it's important to understand the different tendencies and routines of various pitchers.

Clay is just one of many Bees players tossed around this season. The team has 124 transactions thus far in 2014.

Infielder Taylor Lindsey and outfielder Matt Long joined the team from the disabled list, but neither was effective offensively Sunday.

After six homers in the last six for the Bees, outfielder Brennan Boesch's production also cooled. He went 1 for 4 with one RBI.

A homer from Zach Borenstein to right field in the eighth sealed the victory.