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St. Paul Saints

Veteran Shows Top Prospect How It's Done as Albers Dazzles in Saints 12-2 Victory

August 4, 2021 - International League (IL)
St. Paul Saints News Release


ST. PAUL, MN - The buzz was all about the Cincinnati Reds #1 prospect (MLB.com), and 19th best prospect in all of baseball (MLB.com), left-handed pitcher Nick Lodolo who was making his Triple-A debut for the Louisville Bats. The story, however, turned out to be a different left-handed starter, a 13-year veteran who has pitched everywhere from Independent Baseball to Japan to the Majors, Andrew Albers. He went 7.0 strong innings, and his offense did plenty of damage in a 12-2 Saints victory over the Bats on Wednesday afternoon in front of 6,054 at CHS Field.

Albers got through a rocky first inning before settling into a groove. Just like they did on Tuesday night the Bats got on the board first courtesy of a solo home run. The first pitch of the ballgame to Alejo Lopez was hit over the left-center field wall, his fourth of the season, putting the Bats up 1-0. The Saints defense helped Albers out as he gave up a single to Jose Barrero, but he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. With two outs, Major League rehabber Alex Blandino,doubled to left-center, but was thrown out when the ball momentarily got away from the relay man, Sherman Johnson and Blandino took too wide of a turn at second.

In the bottom of the first, Lodolo found out what happens when you make a mistake at the Triple-A level. After a Gilberto Celestino two-out walk, Mark Contreras crushed a two-run homer to straightaway center, his 11th of the season, to put the Saints up 2-1. Lodolo had allowed just one home run in 44.0 innings at Double-A Chattanooga.

In the third, Tomás Telis led off with a single. Lodolo then struck out his second hitter of the game before getting Contreras to ground into a fielder's choice. Lodolo departed after 51 pitches and made way for reliever Tim Adleman. He hit the first two batters he faced to load the bases. Adleman fell behind 2-0 to Damek Tomscha who drilled the third pitch of the at bat into the left field corner for a bases clearing double extending the lead to 5-1. Lodolo went 2.2 innings allowing three runs on three hits while walking two and striking out two.

Meanwhile, Albers scattered singles in second, third and fourth and didn't allow a runner past second base.

In the fifth Telis led off the inning by being hit by a pitch. Gilberto Celestino sent Telis to third with a single to right-center and a sacrifice fly from Contreras made it 6-1.

The Saints continued the offensive push in the sixth as Roberto Peña doubled with two outs. Peña moved to third on a balk and scored on Jose Miranda's RBI single to center increasing the Saints lead to 7-1.

Albers retired nine consecutive batters from the last out of the fourth until there were two outs in the seventh. After giving up back-to-back singles, Albers got Narciso Crook to fly out to end the inning. He went 7.0 innings allowing one urn on eight hits while walking one and striking out five.

In the bottom of the seventh, against Major League rehabber Lucas Sims the Saints got a pair of runs on back-to-back home runs. On a 3-0 pitch, Jimmy Kerrigan clubbed a solo homer over the left field wall, his 13th of the season, to make it 8-1. On the very first pitch to Tomscha, he hit a solo homer to left, his ninth of the season, increasing the lead to 9-1. Tomscha finished the day 2-3 with a double, home run, four RBI, and a run scored.

The Bats added a run in the eighth as Lopez walked and moved to third on a Mike Moustakas single down the right field line. With one out, a sacrifice fly from Alex Blandino made it 9-2.

The Saints, who scored in six of eight innings, finished off their offensive outburst in the eighth when Miranda reached on an infield single, Telis followed with a single, and Celestino hit a three-run homer to left-center, his second with the Saints, making it 12-2.

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 Drew Strotman (7-2, 3.73) to the mound against Bats RHP Hunter Green (2-5, 4.23). The game can be seen on the Saints Broadcast Network, cable access channels in and around the Twin Cities area, and MiLB.TV, and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.

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International League Stories from August 4, 2021


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