Rodriguez's All-Around Game Lifts Saints to Series Victory over Buffalo

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IL St. Paul Saints

Rodriguez's All-Around Game Lifts Saints to Series Victory over Buffalo

May 10, 2025 - International League (IL)
St. Paul Saints News Release


ST. PAUL, MN - Emmanuel Rodriguez drove a first-pitch fastball out to left field for his second home run in as many days to flip a one-run deficit into a one-run lead late as the Saints clinched a series win 2-1 in front of 6,203 on Saturday afternoon against Buffalo.

Rodriguez came up to bat with one out in the seventh following a walk to Jeferson Morales. The Twins No. 2 prospect shook off a pair of strikeouts in his first two trips to the plate and drove out his round-tripper to nearly the exact spot in the Buffalo bullpen as his first of the season the night before.

Rodriguez shined in all phases of the game, also cutting down a run at third base as Alan Roden tried to go first to third on a single in the eighth, helping preserve the one-run advantage that St. Paul (19-15) held late. The pair of home runs on Friday and Saturday are his first two to leave the ballpark in Triple-A after he hit an inside-the-park grand slam for his first homer at the level on September 7 last year. It's the sixth time that the 22-year-old has homered in back-to-back games in his career.

The Bisons (14-22) broke the scoreless deadlock with the help of a Saints error in the sixth. Left fielder Davis Schneider led off the inning with a single and Tobey Gardenhire elected to bring in the lefty Kody Funderburk to face Alan Roden, who started the day 2-2 against Saints starter Zebby Matthews. Funderburk would strike out the lefty batter before walking Orelvis Martinez. With runners at the corners, Will Robertson hit one to the shortstop hole as Ryan Fitzgerald was on the move covering second base. The Saints shortstop broke back to the ball and cut it off, but rushed the throw and Mickey Gasper couldn't pick the short hop at first, allowing Schneider to score.

Matthews finished 5.1 innings in his seventh start of the year, striking out four with no walks on five hits. He allowed just the unearned run, lowering his ERA to 1.93.

Alex Speas was erratic but pitched well enough to navigate through two scoreless innings of relief, including wriggling out of a bases-loaded jam with nobody out in the seventh. He started a 1-2-3 double play on a softly hit comebacker by Riley Tirotta to change the complexion of the inning. He pitched around two hits in the eighth, benefiting from Rodriguez's outfield assist, before Tyler Beede slammed the door in the ninth with a 1-2-3 inning for his first save of the season.

The same two teams meet in game six of a six-game series on Sunday afternoon at CHS Field at 2:07 p.m. The Saints send RHP Travis Adams (2-1, 2.55) to the mound against Bisons LHP Easton Lucas (1-1, 1.88). The game can be seen on the CW Twin Cities, MLB.TV, MiLB.TV, and the Bally Live app, and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.

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International League Stories from May 10, 2025


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