​The St. Paul Saints fell 3-1 to the Iowa Cubs on Wednesday, dropping the opening game of the final series before next week’s All-Star break and setting up a split of the first two matchups in the set. St. Paul starting pitcher Aaron Rozek took the loss, moving to 2-1 on the season after allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks across four innings of work. The Saints received a solid relief effort from Raul Brito, Cody Laweryson and Alejandro Hidalgo, who combined to hold Iowa scoreless over four innings.
Iowa got on the board with a trio of runs in the second inning, establishing the tone early in the contest. St. Paul managed to push a single run across in the first inning when Orlando Arcia hit a sacrifice fly with one out, bringing home the Saints’ lone run of the game. Despite the early offense from Iowa and the one tally for St. Paul, the Cubs’ bullpen closed the door for the remaining frames, preventing any further scoring and preserving the 3-1 final.
With the series continuing, the next game is scheduled for a 6:38 p.m. CDT start, offering another opportunity for both teams to sharpen their play ahead of the All-Star break. As these two clubs trade blows in pursuit of upper-division positioning and a strong finish to the regular season, fans will be watching closely to see which squad can sustain momentum and close out the series on a high note. The Saints will look to bounce back by leaning on their pitching depth and finding additional offensive production after Wednesday’s setback, while Iowa will aim to capitalize on its early strike and maintain its edge as the series progresses.
This matchup serves as a mid-season benchmark, with both teams evaluating pitching rotations, bullpen usage, and lineup configurations as they navigate the stretch run. The Saints’ pitching staff showed resilience by bridging Rozek’s four-inning start with four strong innings from Brito, Laweryson, and Hidalgo, but the offense will need to capitalize more consistently to balance the scales against the Cubs’ offense and prevent similar losses moving forward. The outcome of subsequent games may influence roster decisions and strategic planning as both teams prepare for imminent travel, rest periods, and continued competition past the All-Star break.