Walker Jenkins gave St. Paul an early jolt, but that was about the only good news for the Saints in Des Moines on Thursday night.
Jenkins opened the game with his seventh home run of the season, putting St. Paul in front 1-0 right away. From there, Iowa took control in a hurry and never let go, rolling to a 10-3 win that sent the Saints to their fourth straight loss.
The decisive blow came almost immediately. The I-Cubs answered with six runs in the bottom of the first, turning the game on its head just six outs in. Iowa kept adding to the cushion with a run in the second, two more in the fifth and another in the sixth.
St. Paul finally got something going again in the eighth when Hendry Mendez launched his seventh homer of the year, a two-run shot that also brought home Aaron Sabato. By then, though, the Saints were too far back to make it matter.
Iowa finished with just a 10-8 edge in hits, but the difference was power. The I-Cubs hit four home runs and cashed in on nearly every big chance they got.
Jenkins was one of the few bright spots for St. Paul, finishing 3 for 5 and raising his average to .291. Cody Morissette also chipped in with a 2-for-4 night, the only other Saints hitter with multiple hits.
The first inning put starter Ricky Castro in an impossible spot. All six Iowa runs in the frame were charged to Castro, who lasted only 2/3 of an inning before C.J. Culpepper took over.
The Saints return to the field Friday at 7:08 p.m. in the heart of Iowa. Trent Baker (3-3, 5.40) gets the start for St. Paul against Grant Kipp (1-0, 7.18) for the I-Cubs.
In Other News...
Twins Catcher Crunch Just Forced A Roster Move Fans Saw Coming
The catcher logjam the Twins created around the Field of Dreams Game finally had to be sorted out, and Alex Jackson was the one squeezed off the roster. Minnesota designated Jackson for assignment and trimmed its 40-man roster to 39, a move that came after the club used a temporary extra spot for the event and activated Byron Buxton from the injured list. Jackson, who is out of options, had not been playing regularly this season, which made him the most obvious piece to move once the roster crunch settled down.
Now he goes through waivers, and the most likely outcome is an outright assignment to Triple-A St. Paul if he clears. For the Twins, it is less a surprise than a housekeeping move, but it also underscores how quickly the margins can tighten behind the plate when the roster is fully healthy and every spot matters. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Add A Veteran Arm As Rotation Pressure Keeps Rising
The Twins kept working on their pitching depth after the deadline rush, adding another familiar veteran arm in Germn Mrquez on a minor-league deal. Mrquez is set to report to Triple-A St. Paul, giving Minnesota another starter to stash and evaluate as it tries to steady a rotation that has already been hit by Joe Ryans move to the injured list.
Mrquez arrives after a difficult run with the Padres, who released him following a 5.26 ERA over 53 innings, and he cleared waivers before landing with the Twins. With Dean Kremer already in the fold from the Orioles, Minnesota has been piecing together more rotation options, and Mrquez gives the club another name to consider if the injuries and workload continue to pile up. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Legends Helped Turn Field Of Dreams Into A Franchise Moment
The MLB at Field of Dreams Game in Dyersville, Iowa, already carried the kind of built-in nostalgia that tends to flatten even the biggest sporting events into something closer to a memory. Before the first pitch, though, the scene became a little more surreal when 26 Baseball Hall of Famers emerged from the cornfield and walked onto the field for a special pregame ceremony, a gathering that gave the night the feel of a living museum as much as a regular-season game.
The ceremony brought together Hall of Famers tied to the Phillies and Twins, along with other notable inductees and managers, and included introductions, remarks from Byron Buxton and Kyle Schwarber, plus ceremonial first pitches from Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent. For Minnesota, the presence of so many franchise-linked legends added a layer of significance to an event already built for baseball romantics, and it was the kind of cross-generational moment that made the game feel bigger than the standings. [Read more 🡒]