Saints Offense Silenced By Pirates #5 Prospect In 3-0 Loss

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (August 17, 2024) - On Friday night it was the Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect Bubba Chandler that silenced the St. Paul Saints bats. On Saturday night at Victory Field it was the Pirates #5 prospect, Thomas Harrington. The Saints didn’t get a baserunner until the sixth inning and didn’t have a runner reach second base until the ninth in a 3-0 loss to the Indianapolis Indians. The Saints dropped their eighth straight, second longest losing streak in franchise history.

Harrington wasn’t dominant with strikeouts like Chandler, but he was extremely economical with the Saints swinging early in the count and hitting balls right at fielders. He went the first time through the order getting just one strikeout, six balls in the air, and one groundout.

Randy Dobnak was making his first start since being optioned and pitched well, but the Indians struck first in the first as Billy Cook led off with an infield single to second and moved to second on a wild pitch. Jason Delay walked and the two moved up on a wild pitch. An RBI groundout by Nick Yorke gave the Indians a 1-0 lead. Dobnak went 4.0 innings allowing one run on four hits while walking two and striking out six.

Harrington took a perfect game into the sixth and Rylan Bannon made sure there was no history. He hit a slow grounder to the left of the second baseman Yorke who slid and smothered the ball, but had no play at first on the infield single.

Back-to-back solo homers by Edward Olivares, his second, and Jose Rojas, his second with the Indians and 21^st at Triple-A, in the sixth gave the Indians a 3-0 lead.

Harrington gave up a one out single to Yunior Severino in the seventh, but a fielder’s choice and a pickoff, caught stealing of Wynton Bernard at first ended the inning. Harrington went 7.0 shutout innings allowing two hits and striking out two. He threw just 63 pitches, 50 for strikes.

In the ninth, Anthony Prato led off with a walk and, with two outs, Severino reached on an infield single to second. With the tying run at the plate, Bernard hit a sharp grounder off pitcher Geronimo Franzua, the ball ricocheted towards first, Franzua chased it down and underhanded to first ending the game.

The same two teams meet in the finale of the six-game series on Sunday afternoon at 12:35 p.m. (CT). The Saints send RHP Andrew Morris (0-0, 1.50) against Indians RHP Aaron Shortbridge (1-2, 4.87). The game can be heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.