Aaron Sanchez shut out Indianapolis through five innings and Andrew Stevenson helped break a scoreless draught with an eighth-inning single as the St. Paul Saints won their fourth straight game Friday night with a 4-2 victory over the Indians at Victory Field in Indianapolis.
The Saints (8-4) finally broke through in the eighth after Alex De Goti led off with a double and back-to-back walks loaded the bases. After Chris Williams was hit by a pitch to score the game’s first run, Stevenson snuck a grounder up the middle to extend the early lead to 3-0.
Sanchez got into a bit of trouble during his five-inning outing, including allowing six hits on the day, but he managed to escape each time. He finished his day with a pair of strikeouts and three walks. Cody Lawyerson earned the win. He struck out one in a pair of scoreless frames.
Joey Gallo, making his first major league rehab appearance, went 1 for 3 with a double. Gallo hit the double right away in the first inning, and it was the hardest-hit ball of the night at 111.6 mph. It was the third-hardest hit by a Saint this season.
Endy Rodríguez ended the Saints’ shutout bid with a triple in the ninth that scored Tucupita Marcano for the first run for the Indians (5-8). Rodríguez later scored on a wild pitch, which finalized the score at 4-2.
The two teams meet for the fifth of their six-game series Saturday night at 5:35 p.m.
