Iowa Cubs vs St. Paul

Iowa jumped on Saints starter Trent Baker immediately. For the second time in three games, the Cubs put up a crooked number after retiring the first two hitters. Owen Ayers crushed a solo home run to right — his second at Triple-A and 24th overall in 2026 — to open the scoring. BJ Murray singled, Kevin Alcántara reached on a fielding error by shortstop Tristan Gray, and Ethan Hearn deposited a three-run homer to right, his third at this level. Just like that, Iowa led 4-0 before Baker recorded a third out.

St. Paul chipped away in the third. Four straight hitters reached to start the inning. Noah Cardenas was hit by a pitch, Ben Ross ripped an RBI double down the third-base line, and Emmanuel Rodriguez cut the lead to 4-2 with an RBI double to right. But the rally stalled when Aaron Sabato was picked off first base after taking a few steps off the bag on a pitch that grazed Gabby Gonzalez — a baserunning mistake that cost the Saints a chance to load the bases with nobody out. Back-to-back strikeouts ended the inning with the score still 4-2.

Trailing 4-2 with two outs and nobody on in the sixth, St. Paul mounted their comeback. Kala'i Rosario reached on an infield single that glanced off Iowa reliever Tyler Ferguson's glove. Cody Morissette followed with another infield single off the glove. Tanner Schobel walked to load the bases. Cardenas then laced a 1-2 pitch off the wall in left field, clearing the bases and putting the Saints ahead 5-4.

Eric Orze and Julian Merryweather each threw a perfect inning of relief, striking out two apiece, to slam the door.

Noah Cardenas (St. Paul) — The 25-year-old catcher went 1-for-2 with a hit-by-pitch and the game-turning bases-clearing double. His two-out hit in the sixth produced three runs and flipped a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 lead.

Cody Morissette (St. Paul) — Reached base three times, including a bloop RBI double in the third and an infield single that kept the sixth-inning rally alive.

Ethan Hearn (Iowa) — Delivered the biggest blow for Iowa, a three-run homer in the first inning that staked the Cubs to a 4-0 lead. Went 1-for-3.

Owen Ayers (Iowa) — Led off the scoring with a solo home run in the first, his second homer in a Cubs uniform. Walked once in three plate appearances.

Player of the Match: Noah Cardenas (St. Paul)

Iowa's four-run first inning looked decisive — two home runs, an error, and aggressive baserunning put St. Paul in a 4-0 hole before Baker settled in. Yet the Cubs managed only two hits and no runs over the final six innings after that initial outburst. St. Paul's pitching staff, which had already thrown a 6-0 shutout in Game 1 of the doubleheader, silenced Iowa bats after the first. The Saints' bullpen — Orze and Merryweather — retired all six batters they faced, striking out four. For Iowa, Andrew Wantz pitched two innings of two-run ball in a spot start, but Tyler Ferguson couldn't hold the lead in the sixth, taking the loss (0-1 in relief decisions since joining Iowa).

The doubleheader sweep gave St. Paul their third such sweep of the season — the franchise had managed only one since becoming a Twins Triple-A affiliate in 2021 before this year. The Saints improved their record to 66-50 overall (24-18 in the second half). The loss dropped Iowa to 48-66 overall (18-24 in the second half). The two teams were scheduled to meet in the series finale on Sunday afternoon at Principal Park, with RHP Germán Márquez (1-1, 3.57) set to start for St. Paul against Iowa LHP Jordan Wicks (2-0, 6.35).

St. Paul's resilience told the story: down four after one inning, they chipped away with two in the third and struck with two outs in the sixth. Cardenas' double was the dagger, but the Saints' bullpen dominance — 12 up, 12 down over the final four innings — made the comeback stick. Iowa's early power was neutralised by an inability to sustain pressure beyond the first inning.

• St. Paul Saints official game story: "Down To Their Final Four Outs, Saints Come From Behind To Sweep Doubleheader With 5-4 Victory In Game 2" (milb.com/st-paul/news/8-15-game-2-game-story)
• Bleed Cubbie Blue: "Cubs Minor League Wrap: Smokies roll past Trash Pandas, 4-1" (bleedcubbieblue.com — Aug 16, 2026)
• Betmana.co.uk match page (provider payload — API-Sports, fixture 177191)
• MiLB.com — St. Paul Saints doubleheader game notes (Aug 15, 2026)
• OurSportsCentral — Saints doubleheader releases
• Iowa Cubs official site — doubleheader game notes