RENO, Nev. – The Reno Aces had the offense working last series, and they will look to keep up that momentum as they begin their second series of the season with the Salt Lake Bees, Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels, on Tuesday from Greater Nevada Field.
There were seven different Aces that hit above the .300 mark and an eye-popping five above the .400 line, but only one eclipsed .500 as Andrew Velazquez hit .526 (10-for-19) with six runs scored, two doubles, one triple, one homer, six RBI and one walk. However, Tim Tawa was arguably more impressive with his production, logging a hit in all six games played and batting .476 (10-for-21) with eight runs scored, four doubles, three homers, seven RBI, three walks and a 1.637 OPS.
That production earned Tawa PCL Player of the Week honors for last week, making him the second to earn the honor this season along with LuJames Groover (April 12). Overall for the Aces, they have earned three total weekly honors, as Kohl Drake was the first to take home weekly league recognition on April 5 after his impressive outing at Albuquerque.
This week’s series will be the second meeting of 2026 between the Aces and the Bees, and Reno will be looking to keep up the momentum after winning four of six during their first set from April 7-12. Reno snatched each of the first three games in the series by five or more runs, and then did it again in game five which was sandwiched between a pair of three-run losses in games four and six.
That series has helped the Aces maintain the lead in the all-time series by a 155-129 (.546) margin, making Salt Lake one of four teams in franchise history that the Aces have recorded 150 or more victories. Of teams that Reno has played 150 or more times in franchise history, Reno’s 5.25 ERA (1441 er, 2472.0 ip) and .301 (2958-for-9826) batting average are both second best.
Since these two teams last met (April 12) the Bees have gone 27-20 (.574) which is tied for the third most wins in that time along with Oklahoma City. Salt Lake’s pitching has been middle of the pack over that span, working to a 6.00 ERA which is just sixth best in the PCL despite having the third-most strikeouts (405).
Hitting has been slightly better, as their .289 average ranks fourth in the league since April 14 while their 330 runs scored ranks third. The 12.5 percent walk rate by the Bees is fourth best in the PCL while their 16 triples are third most, and their .854 OPS also checks in at third place in the PCL.
Of those with 40 plate appearances since April 14, the Bees boast three of the top-15 average as Denzer Guzman slots fifth at .374, Niko Kavadas is 13th at .346, and Zach Humphreys is 15th at .333. In this time Guzman has recorded 15 doubles and nine home runs along with a pair of triples, all culminating in a 1.063 OPS. Even further, he has tallied 48 RBI which is easily a team most and tied for most in the PCL. Meanwhile, Kavadas has a .507 on-base percentage with eight doubles and a pair of big flies.
Four Bees starters have made six or more starts in that time, with Brett Kerry leading the way by going 3-3 with a 5.44 ERA and 39 strikeouts. Meanwhile, Caden Dana also has an even record at 2-2 while posting a 4.31 ERA with 34 strikeouts.
Salt Lake still boasts three of the Angels’ top-30 prospects, all of which are in the top 10 for Los Angeles organization. Guzman is the lowest rated of the three at No. 7, while Nelson Rada is the highest of the trio at No. 2. Over these past 47 games, Rada is batting .248 with four doubles, two triples, two homers, and 12 RBI.
The only ranked pitching prospect in Salt Lake is No. 4 George Klassen, who has made nine starts over this span and is 2-4 with a 6.49 ERA and 33 strikeouts to 26 walks.
This six-game set gets underway on June 9 from Greater Nevada Field beginning at 6:35 p.m. PT.
Single-game and season tickets are currently on sale for the 2026 season. For more information, fans can visit RenoAces.com or call the ticket office at (775) 334-7000.