This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Salt Lake's good start is all about starting pitching.
On a clear but crisp Monday night at Spring Mobile Ballpark, the Bees (8-4) won again, beating Tucson 6-2. Salt Lake starter Matt Shoemaker threw well, while the Padres' infield did not.
"Really pretty much everything worked," Shoemaker said of his pitch selection.
Two Tucson (3-9) throwing errors contributed mightily to Salt Lake's five-run third inning. Bees center fielder Mike Trout not only increased his hitting streak to 12 games, but also had his belt come off while successfully diving into first base to beat out a bunt.
Andrew Romine capped the outburst with a two-run single.
Shoemaker (2-0) allowed one hit through four innings and gave the Bees their second consecutive quality start, their sixth of the season.
Overall, Salt Lake ranks fifth in the PCL with a 3.58 earned-run average. Starters Garrett Richards, Trevor Bell, Brad Mills and Shoemaker have combined for a 6-1 record and a 2.61 ERA, which is difficult to beat.
"We definitely feed off of each other," Shoemaker said.
Only two teams have walked more batters than Salt Lake, but few teams have more strikeouts.
"These guys got stretched out in spring training," Bees manager Keith Johnson said. "They were competing for a major league spot.
"One thing that is a bit of a concern, we're not taking care of the baseball."
The Bees are among the PCL leaders with 16 errors — including two more Monday — but they are also among the best at driving home their base runners, which fits in nicely with their high on-base and slugging percentages.
martyr@sltrib.comTwitter: @tribmarty —
Storylines Bees rely on arm, hammer
R Salt Lake starter Matt Shoemaker allows six hits and two runs in eight innings, striking out five.
• Jorge Cantu gives the Bees a 1-0 lead in the second inning with his third home run.