Guzman homers twice, Salt Lake overwhelms El Paso in homestand opener

Denzer Guzman turned the homestand opener into a statement, homering twice and driving in six runs as Salt Lake rolled past El Paso 11-4 on Tuesday night at The Ballpark at America First Square in South Jordan. The Bees scored 11 times in the first three innings, putting the game out of reach almost immediately and giving their season-long 12-game homestand the start they wanted.

Guzman was the center of the surge. The Angels’ No. 8 prospect entered the night hitting .298 with five home runs, 29 RBIs and an .824 OPS in Triple-A, and he backed up that production with the kind of middle-of-the-order damage that can change a series in one inning. Christian Moore added a 2-for-4 night with a double and two RBIs, while Nick Madrigal went 3-for-5 and scored a run, giving Salt Lake steady traffic ahead of the power. Logan O’Hoppe, on MLB injury rehab, caught all nine innings and scored twice as the Bees kept the pressure on from the first inning forward.

Sam Aldegheri did his part after the offensive burst, working six innings and allowing five hits and three earned runs while walking one and striking out two to earn the win. The Angels had optioned Aldegheri to Salt Lake on April 18, and he gave the Bees a stabilizing start before Jared Southard and Kaleb Ort each threw a shutout inning in relief. El Paso scored its four runs late, but the outcome had been settled long before the final outs.

The victory moved Salt Lake to 17-22 and improved the club to 3-1 at home, while also giving the Bees their fourth series-opening win in their last five tries. Just as important, the 11 runs in the first three innings were Salt Lake’s most in that span since June 5, 2025, when the Bees were beaten 21-2 by Round Rock before responding the next day with an 11-8 win. Tuesday’s crowd was listed at 3,801, and the game lasted 2 hours, 46 minutes, a quick night for a team that looked every bit like it had found a lineup capable of overwhelming opponents early.