A Perfect 10, Saints Win 10th Straight With 4-2 Victory Over Mud Hens
ST. PAUL, MN (June 21, 2024) - At the end of the season they don’t ask you how you won the games, just that you did. Despite walking 12 Toledo Mud Hens, the St. Paul Saints reeled off their 10th straight win. They became just the eighth team in the
ST. PAUL, MN (June 21, 2024) - At the end of the season they don’t ask you how you won the games, just that you did. Despite walking 12 Toledo Mud Hens, the St. Paul Saints reeled off their 10th straight win. They became just the eighth team in the International League, since becoming a Triple-A affiliate in 2021 to win at least 10 in a row and it’s longest winning streak by a Minnesota Twins Triple-A affiliate since at least 2005 (as far back as the Minor League stats portal goes back), a 4-2 victory over the Toledo Mud Hens on Friday night at CHS Field in front of 7,445.
The Saints entered play with the fewest walks in Triple-A, 23 fewer than the next closest team, the Salt Lake Bees. In their last two games the Saints had walked just one. On Friday night, the dam finally broke walking a season high 12, one shy of the franchise record, but Saints pitchers made pitches when they needed to and held the Mud Hens to 1-9 with runners in scoring position.
Three straight walks with one out in the second inning by Randy Dobnak loaded the bases for the Mud Hens. Riley Unroe’s sacrifice line out to right gave the Mud Hens a 1-0 lead. Dobnak, however, would get out of the inning when Andrew Navigato singled to left, but Matt Wallner gunned out Vilade at the plate to end the inning.
A similar situation developed in the bottom of the inning as the Saints tied it up. Diego Castillo and Patrick Winkel led off the inning with back-to-back walks. Will Holland’s bunt single loaded the bases. A walk to Anthony Prato tied the game at one.
The long ball, which has accounted for 52% of the Saints runs in their last 20 games, was responsible for 100% of their runs in the fifth. With one out Brooks Lee dropped a single into right. Matt Wallner then crushed a two-run homer to right, his league leading 18th of the season, putting the Saints up 3-1.
A similar fate befell the Saints in the sixth inning as the second. Reliever Ryan Jensen walked the first three batters he faced. He got out of it cheaply enough giving up just one run on an RBI groundout to first by Anthony Bemboom cutting the Saints lead to 3-2. Jensen fanned the next two hitters to end the inning.
The Saints added a big insurance run in the bottom of the eighth. Holland led off with a single to left-center. After a walk to Prato, the two pulled off a double steal and catcher Dillon Dingler’s throw to third went into left field as Holland scampered home making it 4-2.
Ronny Henriquez came on to close it out in the ninth. With one out Spencer Torkelson reached on an infield single to third. Dingler then hit a chopper to third that Castillo backed up on and his throw to second was in the dirt, but Tony Kemp made a great pick to record the out. Bligh Madris followed with his third walk of the night putting the tying runs aboard. Henriquez got Eddys Leonard to fly out to left ending the game.
The same two teams meet in game five of a six-game series on Saturday night at 6:37 p.m. at CHS Field. The Saints send RHP Caleb Boushley (7-1, 3.90) to the mound against Mud Hens RHP Matt Manning (2-1, 4.24). The game can be seen on the CW Network, MLB.TV, MiLB.TV, and the Bally Live app, and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.