RENO, Nev. – Done with the first half of their 12-game road trip and ready to start the next, the Reno Aces travel out to Utah where they will battle the Salt Lake Bees, Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels, in a six-game set beginning on Tuesday.
Reno had nearly snagged a 2-0 edge in last week’s series against the Tacoma Rainiers after the first two games, dominating game two behind solid pitching and a pair of homers after nearly pulling off the comeback bid in the series opener. However, the Aces could score no more than three times in each of the following four games, all of which resulted in losses.
This series between the Aces and Bees will be the fourth and final set of the season between the two, as the two teams twice locked horns in Reno during the first half from April 7-12 and June 9-14. Meanwhile, their most recent meeting came just out of the All-Star break from July 17-19 in Salt Lake.
It is the Bees that hold the advantage in the season series by an 8-7 margin, as Salt Lake has won six of the last nine meetings including four of six in their June series and two of three in their July set. Reno’s only series win was when they took four of six in their first April matchups, a set that led LuJames Groover to be named PCL Player of the Week for the first time.
Hitting has been the main calling card against the Bees so far in 2026 as Reno’s .297 average is just one point behind their mark against El Paso for their best against any opponent this season. Reno’s .847 OPS is their best mark against any opponent this year while their 21 homers stand as third best.
Through 15 games the Aces have worked to a 5.64 ERA, a mark that ranks seventh among their nine opponents played this season. Despite that mark, the Aces have had their strikeout stuff working against Salt Lake as their 143 strikeouts are tied with Las Vegas for second most against an opponent. Unfortunately, they also stand at the other end of the spectrum with their 88 walks ranking most against any opponent this year.
Since these two teams last met in mid-July, Salt Lake has gone just 6-18 (.250) over their last 24 games. That record is the worst in the Pacific Coast League in that time, sitting just one game behind El Paso (7-17) and two behind both Las Vegas and Reno (9-15).
Salt Lake’s 7.08 ERA in that time is second highest in the league, trailing only the 8.02 mark of El Paso. Fre passes have been an issue with their 124 ranking fourth most, just seven behind first place Las Vegas. At least the Bees still slot in the top half of strikeouts, sitting in fifth at 190 punchouts.
Hitting has just been middle of the road for the Bees, as their .277 average is sixth in the PCL and slots directly behind Reno in fifth place by one point. Salt Lake again ranks sixth, this time with 28 home runs, but they have been striking out at an alarming rate as their 254 leads the league and is over 30 more than the next closest team.
On an individual level, Gustavo Campero has been on fire at the dish as his .364 average since July 21 ranks seventh in the PCL of those with 50 or more plate appearances. In addition to the average, he has scored 15 runs with four doubles, seven homers, and a 1.107 OPS. Not far behind him is Pablo Reyes, who’s .338 mark is 12th in the PCL under the same criteria while providing 13 runs scored, five doubles, two triples, eight RBI, and a .896 OPS.
Of the PCL starters with three or more starts, Brett Kerry leads the way for Salt Lake as his 4.24 ERA ranks ninth to go with his 1-1 record and 10 strikeouts. Sam Aldegheri is not far behind in 15th place with a 4.98 ERA.
After the most recent update from MLB Pipeline, the Bees now have four of Los Angeles’ top-30 prospects, the highest ranked being No. 6 Nelson Rada. In 102 games this season, Rada his hitting .280 with the Bess while adding 81 runs scored, 17 doubles, five triples, two homers, 33 RBI, and a .741 OPS.
This six-game series gets underway at The Ballpark at America First Square on Tuesday at 5:35 p.m. PT.