Stellar Pitching, Three Homers In One Inning, Lead Saints To 3-1 Win Over Bats
ST. PAUL, MN (July 17, 2026) - The first time pitcher Jack Anderson put on a St. Paul Saints uniform after the Minnesota Twins claimed him off waivers from the Boston Red Sox was Friday night. His start was short, but impressive. The other three pitchers were equally as effective.
ST. PAUL, MN (July 17, 2026) - The first time pitcher Jack Anderson put on a St. Paul Saints uniform after the Minnesota Twins claimed him off waivers from the Boston Red Sox was Friday night. His start was short, but impressive. The other three pitchers were equally as effective. The offense blasted three home runs in one inning and that was more than enough in a 3-1 victory over the Louisville Bats at CHS Field in front of 8,267.
Pitching for the first time in two weeks, Anderson retired the first four men he faced before giving up a one out double in the second to Michael Toglia. Anderson retired the next two and five of the final six he faced going 3.0 shutout innings allowing two hits while striking out one.
Cole Sands worked multiple innings for the first time on Major League rehab. He allowed just a two-out walk in the fourth and a two-out single in the fifth going 2.0 shutout innings allowing one hit while walking one and striking out three.
After collecting just one hit through the first four innings the Saints offense woke up with the long ball in the fifth. Cody Morissette led off the inning with a 469-foot blast to right, his seventh of the season and sixth with the Saints, making it 1-0. The 469-foot homer was the furthest by a Saints hitter this year and third furthest home run by a Saints player at CHS Field. With one out Noah Cardenas, his seventh, and Walker Jenkins, his fourth, went back-to-back, increasing the lead to 3-0. It was the fifth time this season the Saints have gone back-to-back. It was also the third time this season the Saints homered three times in an inning and 10th time in franchise history.
Aaron Rozek was the next bulk reliever for the Saints and he made just one mistake, a solo homer by Michael Chavis in the seventh, his 17th of the season, cutting the lead to 3-1. Rozek went 2.2 innings allowing one run on two hits while walking two and striking out two. He left the game with one on and two outs in the eighth. Cody Laweryson came out of the bullpen and retired Toglia on a line out to end the inning.
Laweryson closed out the game with a perfect ninth picking up his first save of the season.
The same two teams meet in a doubleheader, games two and three of the four-game series, on Saturday evening with game one beginning at 4:37 p.m. The Saints send RHP Ryan Gallagher (2-4, 7.44) to the mound in game one against Bats RHP Jose Acuna (1-0, 5.40). In game two the Saints send RHP Ricky Castro (2-1, 4.50) to the mound against Bats RHP Davis Daniel (5-7, 4.80). Both games are scheduled for seven innings with game two beginning approximately 30-minutes at the conclusion of game one. Both games can be seen on the Saints Broadcast Network, cable access channels in and around the Twin Cities, area, MLB.TV, MLB+, and the Bally Sports Live app, and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM, all presented by Northland Ford Dealers.