This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Baseball is a much easier game to manage when the starting pitchers continually take your team into the seventh and eighth innings.
Salt Lake manager Keith Johnson said as much Tuesday when Bees starter Brad Mills turned in the team's third straight quality start.
However, Las Vegas spoiled Mills' chance at victory and nearly ruined Johnson's 41st birthday with a ninth-inning rally to tie the score. It took Salt Lake's Ryan Langerhans' walk-off double to right in the ninth to drive home Andrew Romine with the winning run, 3-2.
"It's all about results in my book," Mills said. "I gave us a chance to win, I got through seven. … I'll take that any day."
The 27-year-old, traded to the Los Angeles Angels for catcher Jeff Mathis in the offseason and facing many of his former Las Vegas teammates, allowed four hits and a run in seven innings.
Mills, who spent five seasons in the Toronto system, was pleased with the trade.
"I was ecstatic right off the bat," he said. "On the Toronto side of it, it was a good breath of fresh air. I really like the [Angels] coaching staff in the big leagues and the way they go at it."
Johnson admired Mills' ability while the pitcher was forging a career 3-1 record against the Bees (9-4).
"He might get into deep counts, but he goes out and keeps hitters off balance," Johnson said.
"You look at the starts [Mills] had against us, and it seemed like we knocked him around a little bit. But he made pitches. … Look up at the end of the game, it's the seventh inning and he's still out there with the lead. That's who he's been and hopefully he'll continue to do that."
Mills faced his biggest jam in the fifth inning when Toronto, thanks to a single, a walk and a sacrifice, had runners on second and third with one out. Mills struck out Adeiny Hechavarris looking and popped up Travis Snider to end the inning.
Highlights
R Bees pitcher Brad Mills doesn't get the decision, but allows just one run and four hits through seven innings.
• Salt Lake designated hitter Ryan Langerhans drives in the winning run with a double in the bottom of the ninth.