Pre-Season Update #3

Well the St. Paul Saints pre-season is over and the regular season starts Thursday night at home against the Gary SouthShore RailCats. The Saints have managed a few more moves since my last update in April. One of those was re-signing Angelo Songco, his contract was bought by the Dodgers however he was released by them shortly after and the Saints picked him back up. The Saints also managed a big trade in the last few days as Manager George Tsamis traded the rights for Brett Harper (who is currently in the Mexican League) to the Sioux City Explorers in return for a much needed starting pitcher in former Chaska High School start John Straka. Straka went 11-3 with a 3.27 ERA in 20 starts for the X's last season.

The Saints have finished there exhibition season, playing 3 Games against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, 1 Game against the Metro-Minny All Stars, and 2 Games against the Sioux Falls Canaries. Opening up the exhibition schedule the Saints would meet the RedHawks at Bill Taunton Stadium in Willmar, MN (home of the Willmar Stingers of the Northwoods League) St. Paul would come away with a 3-2 win on that Sunday afternoon. On the following Thursday they would meet again at Bucky Burgau Field in Moorhead, MN (home of the Concordia College Cobbers of the NCAA Division III MIAC) but the Saints would drop the game to the home club 12-11. The following afternoon the clubs would meet at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo and yet again the Saints would fall to the host club 8-2. On Saturday the Saints would meet the All Stars of the Amateur Metro-Minny League at Schumacher Field in Forest Lake, MN. St. Paul would use 4 pitchers that afternoon in Forest Lake and starter Robert Coe would pitch 6 innings and strike out a whopping 14 batters in the Saints 9-2 route of the Metro-Minny All Stars. St. Paul then finished out the season against the Sioux Falls Canaries and in game 1 on Monday Night in front of a crowd of 4,579 and took back a 5-1 win, and in the final game of the exhibition season the Saints would face Sioux Falls again in front a crowd a local school kids in a special 11:35 AM start time. The game would bring the Saints down 4-2 in the bottom of the 9th and end with a doozy as Alonzo Harris would smash a 3 run HR to win the game 5-4.

The Saints finish the exhibition season with a record of 3-3, Thursday Night at 7:05 against the Gary SouthShore RailCats begins the quest for the Saints to repeat as American Association North Division Champions. The Saints have won 5 division championships (Northern League 1997, 2000, and 2003 American Association 2006 and 2013) and 4 League championships (Northern League 1993, 1995, 1996, and 2004) in there 23 Year History. Be there Thursday Night when Year 24 begins. Always remember Fun Is Good and GO SAINTS!