ST. PAUL, MN (June 7, 2026) - Win the games you’re supposed to and let the chips fall where they may. The St. Paul Saints are playing some of their best baseball of the season, but so are the teams ahead of them in the playoff race. Five pitchers combined to blank the Indianapolis Indians 3-0 on Sunday afternoon at CHS Field in front of 6,550. The Saints took five of six from the Indians and sit 4.0 games back of the one playoff spot in the first half with 12 games to go.
Starter John Klein danced around runners in the first couple of innings. He walked the first two men in the first, but retired the next three. In the second, he had runners at first and second with two outs, but fanned Termarr Johnson to end the inning. Klein went 2.2 innings, allowing three hits while walking three and striking out one.
Ty Langenberg came out of the bullpen to take over for Klein with two outs in the third. He allowed just two base runners, a leadoff walk in the fourth before striking out the next three, and a two-out single in the fifth. Langenberg went 2.1 innings allowing one hit while walking one and striking out three.
The Saints broke the scoreless game in the fourth as Gabby Gonzalez singled to left with one out. With two outs Ben Ross smashed a single to left, putting runners at first and second. A wild pitch advanced the runners up a base. Tanner Schobel then reached on an infield single to third when his slow roller was fielded by Enmanuel Valdez, but his throw to first on the run pulled Nick Yorke off the bag as Gonzalez scored making it 1-0.
A big two out base hit by Aaron Sabato in the fifth added on to the Saints lead. They loaded the bases when Luis Hernandez led off the inning with a hit by pitch, a one out single to right by Kyler Fedko, and a two out walk to Gonzalez. Sabato then ripped a two-run single to left putting the Saints up 3-0.
Marco Raya was magnificent in his 2.0 innings of work allowing just a two-out single to left in the sixth, but Dominic Fletcher was erased trying to stretch it into a double by Hendry Mendez. Raya went 2.0 innings allowing one hit and striking out one.
The last six outs were recorded by Kody Funderburk, who pitched a perfect eighth, and C.J. Culpepper, who gave up a one out single in the ninth before getting a game ending double play to pick up his first career save.
It was the first shutout for the Saints at CHS Field since the first game of last season, an 11-0 win over the same Indians team.
The Saints home run streak was snapped at 17 consecutive games. The streak is tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the longest in baseball this season.
The Saints are off on Monday and return to action on Tuesday night at 6:05 p.m. (CT) to take on the Toledo Mud Hens. The Saints send RHP Ryan Gallagher (2-1, 5.79) to the mound and the Mud Hens are TBA. The game can be heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.