Woods Richardson Solid Again, But Saints Fall 4-3
DES MOINES, IA (September 13, 2023) - Following his June 8 start in which he gave up six runs in 3.1 innings, the St. Paul Saints elected to sit Simeon Woods Richardson down and his skip his next start. It proved to be the best thing that could have happened
_DES MOINES, IA _*(September 13, 2023) - *Following his June 8 start in which he gave up six runs in 3.1 innings, the St. Paul Saints elected to sit Simeon Woods Richardson down and his skip his next start. It proved to be the best thing that could have happened to him this season. He entered play on Wednesday afternoon at Principal Park with a 2.97 ERA since his next start on June 20. He continued that incredible run tossing one run ball over 5.0 innings, but the Saints fell 4-3 to the Iowa Cubs. The loss drops the Saints to 37-28 in the second half.
For the seventh consecutive game the Saints scored a run in the first. Michael Helman led off the game with a double high off the wall in left. He stole third and scored on a wild pitch giving the Saints a 1-0 lead.
Woods Richardson got out of a bases loaded two-out jam in the second by getting P.J. Higgins to ground out to end the inning.
After a perfect second inning, Woods Richardson gave up his lone run of the game. The I-Cubs knotted the game at one in the third when Jared Young walked, stole second, and scored on a double from Matt Mervis.
Hernán Pérez gave the Saints the lead in the fifth with a solo homer to left-center, his 10th of the season, making it 2-1. It’s just the third time in his 16-year career that Pérez has homered 10 or more times in a season.
Woods Richardson retired six of the final seven batters he faced and went 5.0 innings allowing one run on three hits while walking three and striking out five.
Saints two-way player Andrew Bechtold came on in relief in the sixth inning and the I-Cubs capitalized. With one out, Nelson Maldonado walked and Higgins singled him to third. An RBI double by Darius Hill tied the game at two. With two outs, Levi Jordan put the I-Cubs up 4-2 with a two-run single to center.
For the third consecutive game, Yunior Severino blasted a home run, a solo shot to right-center cutting the deficit to 4-3. It was his 10th home run with the Saints and his Minor League tying 34th of the season. He becomes the first Minnesota Twins Minor Leaguer to hit 34 home runs in a season since Daniel Palka did it in 2016 between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Rochester.
The Saints had an opportunity in the ninth when Austin Martin walked with one out and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. walked with two outs. Pérez then ripped a shot to center, but Hill grabbed it on the warning track to end the game.
The same two teams meet in game three of a six-game series on Thursday afternoon at Principal Park at 12:08 p.m. The Saints send RHP Randy Dobnak (4-8, 5.10) to the mound against I-Cubs RHP Riley Thompson (2-8, 5.53). The game can be heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.