Series recap: Tacoma and Salt Lake settle for split to close PCL first half

The first half of the 2026 Pacific Coast League season is in the books, as the Bees finished their opening 74 games with a series split against the Tacoma Rainiers (Triple-A, Seattle Mariners). Salt Lake compiled a 39-35 record to finish in fourth place 5.5 games behind first-half champion Las Vegas. With the series split, the Bees did not lose a series at home in the first half, winning three six-game sets and splitting four week-long series.

Series recap

Christian Moore’s multi-homer night surged Salt Lake to a series-opening 10-6 victory on Tuesday. The Bees are tied for most home wins on Tuesdays this season across all of professional baseball. Salt Lake’s four-game win streak was snapped on Wednesday, despite forcing extra innings. Tacoma scored six in the 10th inning, taking game two 12-6.

The visitors rode another dazzling start from Casey Lawrence to shut out the Bees 8-0 on Thursday. Playing as the Occidentals, Salt Lake responded on Friday night thanks to George Klassen’s second quality start of the season. They evened the series with a 3-2 win, courtesy of a pair of sixth-inning runs.

All 7,664 fans joyously went home happy on Saturday as the Bees ensured their spot on Santa’s Nice List with an 8-7 walk-off victory on Christmas in June Night. Zach Humphreys was the hero with his swinging-bunt single in the ninth, providing the Bees’ sixth walk-off this season. Tacoma ensured the split on Father’s Day with a four-run seventh to power them to a 7-1 victory in the series finale.

Prospect watch

The Los Angeles Angels’ top position-player prospect and No. 2 overall prospect, Nelson Rada, continued his fiery month of June in Salt Lake’s series split with Tacoma. Appearing in all six games, the outfielder paced an offense that was impacted by recent big league call-ups, including Christian Moore and Denzer Guzman.

Rada finished the series 7-for-20 (.350) with a double, five runs scored, two RBIs, four walks and two stolen bases. He recorded three consecutive multi-hit games from June 17-19 and notched his 11th multi-walk game of the season, the most on the team. June has been his best month of the year, as he’s batting 21-for-60 (.350) with 15 runs scored, 10 walks, eight stolen bases and six RBIs.

On the season, Rada is slashing .270/.376/.344 while continuing to impress defensively. He has committed just one error in the series, posting a .990 fielding percentage on the year while showcasing excellent range and the ability to quickly track down balls in the gaps.

After being limited to just three innings in his previous start due to a high pitch count, George Klassen bounced back in a big way on Friday night. The Angels’ No. 3 pitching prospect and No. 4 overall prospect helped guide Salt Lake to a 3-2 victory over Tacoma, earning his second quality start of the season. Klassen tossed six innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits while striking out three and walking one on 87 pitches.

The right-hander has now completed at least five innings in four of his last five starts. Salt Lake is 5-2 this season when its starter records a quality start, including a 5-1 mark at home. Klassen has been dominant in June, posting a 1.93 ERA with 15 strikeouts and seven walks across 14 innings. Opponents are hitting just .236 against the Wisconsin native this month.

The Angels’ No. 7 prospect, Denzer Guzman, has made an immediate impact since earning his call-up to Los Angeles earlier this month. In 12 games with the Halos, the 22-year-old is batting 13-for-48 (.271) and has homered in three straight games. Guzman’s biggest swing came against the Athletics when he launched a towering game-tying three-run homer in the eighth inning, helping spark a comeback victory and series win for Los Angeles. With Guzman now making contributions at the big league level, Salt Lake will have to continue finding ways to replace one of its most productive young infielders.

Around the bases

It was another action-packed week at The Ballpark at America First Square. Two Beehive State staples started the week. Following the weekly appearance of the Utah Dirty Sodas, it was Fry Sauce Night on Thursday. Ron Taylor, the so-called creator of the condiment, was on hand to throw out the first pitch and take part in naming the best fry sauce in the state.

On Juneteenth, the Bees took the field as the Salt Lake Occidentals, an all-Black team that competed against other teams in the Mountain Region between 1906-1913. The second-largest crowd in ballpark history was on hand for Christmas in June Night on Saturday, seeing a walk-off win and postgame drone show to celebrate 188 days until the holiday. Father’s Day took over the park on Sunday to round out the series.

What’s on deck

The second half of the season begins with the Bees facing three of the top five teams in the league over their next 18 games. It starts with a trip southeast to New Mexico to take on the Albuquerque Isotopes (Triple-A, Colorado Rockies) for six games. The series will kick off on Tuesday night at 6:35 p.m. MDT from Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park.