P.J. Conlon hit hard, Bees hand Las Vegas 51s 2nd straight loss
P.J. Conlon hadn’t allowed more than two walks in a single game all season.
He walked three in the first inning alone on Monday.
And so began one of Conlon’s worst starts this year.
The lefty gave up nine runs in 4 2/3 innings as the 51s lost 10-5 on the road to Salt Lake at Smith’s Ballpark.
Conlon wound up walking three more while giving up 10 hits.
“I just thought Conlon was not sharp today,” manager Tony DeFrancesco said. “A lot of deep counts.”
The nine earned runs were a season high and came after Conlon had strung together three consecutive quality starts. He earned a call up, appearing briefly with the Mets, pitching two innings on July 10.
Monday marked his first start since July 1 and the lack of continuity contributed to Conlon’s struggles.
“He was up in the big leagues, he pitched a little bit out of relief. All-Star break. He just didn’t have it today so I think it’s just he competed but he just didn’t have (it),” DeFrancesco said. “(Eight) walks and (14) hits for the other team is just too much to come back from.”
The Bees (49-46) scored three runs in the first inning, four in the third and three in the fifth.
The 51s (45-50) inched closer at times, cutting the lead to one in the second inning and three runs in the fifth inning, but couldn’t come any closer.
“We fell behind early. We tried to battle back,” DeFrancesco said. “We got it within three or four and we couldn’t stop them tonight.”
Luis Rengifo and Eric Young Jr. each had three hits and two RBIs for the Bees while Michael Hermosillo and Jared Walsh each drove in a pair of runs.
Christian Colon drove in two runs for the 51s in the second inning on a double to left while Jeff McNeil drove in a pair with a fifth-inning triple. Cody Asche also drove in a run in the loss.
Outfielder Kevin Kaczmarski raised his average to .361 with three hits in the loss, the 51s second straight.
“We swung. We scored some runs but we were down too early,” DeFrancesco said.
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