Caleb Boushley was scheduled to start on Tuesday night at Werner Park for the St. Paul Saints. His promotion to the Minnesota Twins meant the Saints were forced to go with a bullpen game against the best team in the Minor Leagues, the Omaha Storm Chasers. Four pitchers combined to allow just two runs and strike out 12 in an 8-2 victory.
The Saints came out swinging in the first inning as they sent 10 men to the plate and scored five runs. Payton Eeles led off the game with a single to center. With one out, DaShawn Keirsey Jr. reached on an infield single to short putting runners at first and second. Yunior Severino loaded the bases with a single to left. Michael Helman made it 1-0 with an RBI single to center. A bases loaded walk to Diego Castillo increased the lead to 2-0. Jair Camargo followed with a sacrifice fly giving the Saints a 3-0 lead. A walk to Carson McCusker loaded the bases and Rylan Bannon made it 5-0 with a two-run single to right-center.
Those five runs alleviated any pressure for the Saints as Ryan Jensen worked 2.0 scoreless innings allowing one hit and striking out three.
Zack Weiss was the second pitcher used by the Saints. He got out of a bases loaded, one out jam in the third with an inning ending double play.
The Storm Chasers got on the board in the fourth. Ryan Fitzgerald led off with a walk, took third on a double by Nate Eaton, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Nelson Velazquez cutting the Saints lead to 5-1. Weiss went 2.0 innings allowing one run on three hits while walking one and striking out three.
Back-to-back singles by Keirsey Jr. and Severino put runners at the corners to start the fifth for the Saints. With one out, a groundout by Castillo scored Keirsey Jr. increasing the Saints lead to 6-1.
McCusker led off the sixth inning with a solo homer to right, his first Triple-A blast, giving the Saints a 7-1 lead. Bannon walked, stole second, and scored on a two-out single to left by Keirsey Jr. making it 8-1. Keirsey Jr. went 3-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. He now has 111 hits on the season, tied with Jermaine Palacios for fourth most in a single-season in franchise history.
Nick Wittgren got the bulk innings for the Saints relievers working a perfect fifth and allowing a leadoff single in the sixth before retiring the next three.
Devin Mann got one back for the Storm Chasers in the seventh with a solo homer to left, his 11th of the season, cutting the Saints lead to 8-2. Wittgren went 3.0 innings allowing one run on two hits while walking one and striking out three.
Josh Winder finished it up for the Saints going 2.0 shutout innings allowing one hit and striking out three.
The same two teams meet in game two of a six-game series at Werner Park on Wednesday night at 6:35 p.m.
(info courtesy of Saints)
