Iowa Falls to St. Paul in Second Straight Loss

ST. PAUL, MN – The Iowa Cubs (51-72) dropped their second straight game to the St. Paul Saints (63-60) on Friday, falling by a final score of 3-1 at CHS Field.

The starting pitchers had the upper hand for the first two innings, holding the game scoreless on both sides. For St. Paul, Charlie Barnes limited the I-Cubs to three singles in the first two frames and stranded all three runners. Joe Biagini allowed no hits and just one walk in his first two innings of work, but even that runner was erased on a double play.

Both lineups broke through in the third, however. Iowa struck first when Brennen Davis laced a double to right field and then scored on a single from Abiatal Avelino, giving the I-Cubs a 1-0 lead. St. Paul was quick to answer in their half of the inning with a three-run home run from Jose Miranda, though, and they took their first lead of the game, 3-1.

From there, the pitchers’ duel resumed. Barnes allowed a leadoff single in the fourth, but sent the next three men down in order. Beau Burrows took over in the fifth and shut the I-Cubs down quickly, retiring all of the first nine men he faced and 12 out of the first 13.

Biagini got back on track after the three-run third, too, and retired all but one of the final ten batters he faced. He left after six complete innings and handed the game over to Erich Uelmen. Uelmen allowed a hit and a walk but no runs in the seventh, and then Marcus Walden pitched a scoreless inning of his own to hold the game at 3-1 after eight.

Although the I-Cubs bats made some noise in the top of the ninth, they were unable to push any more runs across the plate. The Saints took their second straight victory by a final score of 3-1, giving them a 2-1 series lead over Iowa.

POSTGAME NOTES:

• Joe Biagini collected his fifth quality start of the season but earned the loss tonight after throwing six innings and allowing only three earned runs. The I-Cubs are now 2-3 in games where Biagini has logged a quality start, and Biagini himself is 1-2.
• Ian Miller pinch hit for Levi Jordan in the ninth and flied out to left, marking the first time this season he has been retired in a pinch hit appearance. Before tonight, he had gone 3-for-3 with two walks.
• Eight out of nine batters in Iowa’s starting lineup reached base safely at least once tonight. The only exception was Johneshwy Fargas, who flied out to center field in all four of his at-bats.
• Brennen Davis’ double extended his on-base streak to all nine games he has played with Iowa so far. The outfielder has gone 13-for-35 with five walks during that span.

Iowa and St. Paul will play again tomorrow night in the fourth of their five games. First pitch at CHS Field is scheduled for 6:05pm. For more information and tickets, visit www.iowacubs.com.