Loney, Mays star in 51s’ home opener

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Squeezed out in a numbers game, James Loney left spring training as a member of the Triple-A 51s. It was a major downer for him.

He chose jersey No. 7, and if a new number brings him any luck, he soon will play his way out of Las Vegas and back up to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“I left all the disappointment behind before I got here,” Loney said. “I’m not really unhappy about being down here. I’m still playing a game.”

Loney was one of the stars of the game Friday night, hitting a three-run triple in the second inning to lift the 51s to a 5-1 victory over the Salt Lake Bees at Cashman Field.

Las Vegas, in its 25th Pacific Coast League season, won its seventh straight home opener before a crowd of 8,939.

The 51s (5-3) extended their winning streak to five behind a strong start from veteran right-hander Joe Mays (1-1).

In the longest outing yet by a Las Vegas starter, Mays went seven innings and allowed one run on four hits. He avenged a loss at Salt Lake last Saturday.

“I hate throwing in cold weather,” Mays said. “It’s warmer here, and you can actually sweat a little bit while you’re throwing.”

Mays did not sweat much after the 51s scored five runs in the second. Loney drove a 3-2 fastball about 380 feet off the wall in right-center field to score Ken Huckaby, Tomas Perez and Tony Abreu to put the 51s ahead 5-1.

Perez went 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI for Las Vegas.

Mays made one mistake by leaving a changeup high in the zone that the Bees’ Terry Evans lined for a home run in the second inning.

“The first two innings were probably my toughest. Once I got in a groove, things started to get a little easier,” said Mays, who has pitched seven seasons in the majors and was an American League All-Star for the Minnesota Twins in 2001.

Mays, who used his sinker to induce 12 groundball outs, said, “The defense was outstanding.”

Under former manager Jerry Royster, the 51s finished 67-77 last season, 24 games behind Tucson in the Southern Division.

First-year manager Lorenzo Bundy spent last year as the hitting instructor for Tucson, which won the PCL and Triple-A championships.

“I think this team will win,” Bundy said. “We’ve got a little veteran influence here that’s going to be very important to this club.”

Loney is only 22, but he might as well count as a veteran. He hit .284 in 48 games for the Dodgers last season. He led all of minor league baseball with a .380 batting average.

But because Los Angeles re-signed first baseman Nomar Garciaparra, Loney was the odd man out after spring training. He’s starting in right field for Las Vegas, and the position switch is aimed at giving him a better chance of a promotion.

“I think James is going about his business as professionally as you can get. He’s doing everything he needs to do,” Bundy said.

Loney is not the only Triple-A player who thinks he deserves a better fate.

“At this level, sometimes it’s called the malcontent level. Everybody’s got a story, everybody wants to be in the big leagues and everybody’s getting screwed,” Bundy said.

“Say it’s true, say you’re getting screwed. Well, prove somebody wrong. It’s all about taking care of business right now.”