Maeda Marvelous, But Saints Drop Game Late In 5-2 Loss
ST. PAUL, MN (June 9, 2021) - It took an hour and 15-minute rain delay prior to the game to knock Byron Buxton out of the lineup. It didn’t, howeber, alter Kenta Maeda’s planned rehab start. He proved he was ready for his next step, a spot in the Minnesota
ST. PAUL, MN (June 9, 2021) - It took an hour and 15-minute rain delay prior to the game to knock Byron Buxton out of the lineup. It didn’t, howeber, alter Kenta Maeda’s planned rehab start. He proved he was ready for his next step, a spot in the Minnesota Twins rotation. Maeda’s 4.0 solid innings wasn’t enough, however, as the St. Paul Saints lost a 2-1 lead late to the Omaha Storm Chasers in a 5-2 loss on Wednesday night in front of 4,778 at CHS Field.
Maeda breezed through the first 3.0 innings giving up just a walk to Meibrys Viloria with two outs in the second.
The Saints staked Maeda to a 1-0 lead in the second on a solo homer to right by Sherman Johnson, his first of the season.
In the fourth, Maeda’s final inning, the lone mistake he made was to Ryan O’Hearn who deposited a one out solo homer to right, his first of the night and sixth of the season, tying the game at one. Maeda finished his night fanning the last two hitters he faced. He went 4.0 innings allowing one run on one hit while walking one and striking out five. He threw 54 pitches, 33 for strikes.
The Saints took the lead in the sixth when the first three hitters, JT Riddle, Damek Tomscha, and Brent Rooker, loaded the bases with singles. Tomás Telis’ ground ball double play plated a run to make it 2-1.
Jhoan Duran took over for Maeda and pitched around trouble in the fifth and sixth. In the eighth, O’Hearn tied the game with a solo shot to straightaway center, his second of the night and seventh of the year.
In the ninth the Storm Chasers took the lead when Duran walked Bubba Starling and Sebastian Rivero with one out. Andrew Vasquez took over and his throwing error to third on an attempted steal by Starling allowed Starling to score and sent Rivero to third giving the Storm Chasers a 3-2 lead. After a walk to Angelo Castellano, Kyle Isbel tripled home both runs to put the game away.
The same two teams meet in game three of the six-game series on Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. The Saints send RHP Chandler Shepherd (1-1, 3.86) to the mound against Storm Chasers LHP Daniel Lynch (1-1, 3.92). The game can be seen on the Saints Cable Network, cable access channels in and around the Twin Cities, and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.