This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
In the midst of Tuesday's loss to Memphis, Keith Johnson had had enough. He barked at his players.
It was not the wins, or the lack of them, that had driven the manager to anger. His Bees' focus and preparation was not there during a recent string of losses.
"Uncharacteristically, the last few games we have been making a lot more mental mistakes," Johnson said. "These guys have played so hard and so consistent for so long. The wins and losses were reflections of lack of execution. For the most part we were playing consistent and … mentally mistake-free."
Thursday's 11-7 loss to Memphis (20-26) was just a matter of poor Salt Lake (22-26) pitching.
Despite Memphis' lead, the Bees didn't quit.
"I got a little frustrated, and it boiled over," Johnson said of his Tuesday vent.
So, a few hours prior to batting practice Wednesday, the Bees had a team-only meeting.
What would lead to a road record of 12-8 but a mediocre 10-17 in Spring Mobile Ballpark? The result was a 10-0 victory that included timely hits and a superior pitching performance by Matt Palmer.
"We told ourselves in the meeting, on the road we are totally different," Palmer said. "We come together as a team because we are around each other so much. Then we come home and we all disperse and go our own ways.
"Young and old, let's play together like we do on the road. Old can learn from the young, and young can learn from the old. Truthfully, it was just a good day today."
For Johnson's part, while he had no idea why the players came together, it was a good sign that they had taken responsibility for their actions.
"That's one thing about this game as opposed to football or basketball; no matter how good you are today, you have to prove yourself again tomorrow," Johnson said. "Right now we are keeping our head above water with all the injuries we have had. We are getting close to getting healthy. Hopefully this is a springboard to some more quality baseball."
Twitter: @tribmarty.com —
Highlights
R Memphis collects 19 hits, including six batters with two or more. Mark Hamilton leads with four.
• Salt Lake third baseman Jeff Baisley drives in four runs with two homers.