The St. Paul Saints added to their historic run with a 9-7 win against the Toledo Mud Hens on Saturday night.

Caleb Boushley (8-1) pitched seven scoreless innings, and St. Paul’s offense kept its momentum going with a 16-hit attack. The Saints have won 11 games in a row, their longest winning streak since becoming the Minnesota Twins’ Triple-A affiliate in 2021. The streak is also the longest by any Twins’ Triple-A affiliate since at least 2005, dating to when those records could be checked, according to the team.

Yunior Severino had four hits, including his 14th home run of the season. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. had three hits, including his ninth homer, in his return to the lineup. He was activated from the injured list after last playing on May 26. Tony Kemp also had three hits, including his sixth homer.

St. Paul left little doubt in this one early, scoring two runs in each of the first three innings and in four of the first five frames.

Severino had a two-run single in the first inning. Matt Wallner added another two-run single in the second before Keirsey and Kemp each hit solo homers in the third.

In the fifth, it was a solo homer from Severino and an RBI single by Patrick Winkel. Winkel added an RBI groundout to plate Keirsey in the seventh.

Boushley cruised through his seven innings, allowing just three hits and striking out five.

Toledo scored all seven of its runs in the top of the ninth off Saints relievers Austin Brice and Nick Wittgren, including a grand slam by Andrew Navigato.

Mud Hens right-hander Matt Manning, who’s made five starts for the Detroit Tigers this season with a 4.88 ERA, allowed eight runs in four innings.

Saints second baseman Eduoard Julien had two hits and a run scored, with two strikeouts as the leadoff batter, and Brooks Lee had a hit, two walks and a run scored.

For two weeks, Minnesota United has been shorthanded, missing a half-dozen or more players to injuries, international call-ups and various other issues.

Saturday night, that shorthandedness extended to the field, as the Loons played most of the game with only 10 players.

Hassani Dotson was sent off midway through the first half for Minnesota after earning two yellow cards in the span of 45 seconds, and the Loons lost 1-0 to Austin FC at Allianz FIeld.

The defeat was Minnesota’s third in a row, extending the team’s only multi-game losing streak of this season. The Loons shot up the Western Conference standings over the first 10 or so games of manager Eric Ramsay’s tenure, but over the past few weeks, the air has gone out of the team’s balloon.

It was the first time in Minnesota’s MLS history that the Loons have had a player sent off in the first half of a match. Three Loons got their marching orders in the first half in 2023, but two were in the Leagues Cup and one in the US Open Cup.

Dotson’s fouls both came against the same player, Austin FC striker Gyasi Zardes, and it was surprising to see referee Drew Fischer reach for his pocket on both occasions. The first card came on an attempted tackle on which Dotson made little, if any, contact with Zardes. The second card probably was a foul, but on most nights might not have been a card.

It took just five minutes for Austin to capitalize on their man advantage. Loons goalkeeper Clint Irwin attempted to punch out a cross, but his punch wasn’t strong enough to clear the area and fell directly to Los Verdes striker Diego Rubio, who had only to beat a stranded Irwin to open the scoring.

Minnesota, playing without either of its first-choice center forwards, didn’t put its first shot on target until the 82nd minute, though the Loons did manage to keep a fair amount of possession even with only 10 men on the field. With the diminutive Sang Bin Jeong playing at center forward, though, Minnesota didn’t have the option of going the long-ball route to find a goal and instead had to try to systematically break down the Austin defense — while short one player.

Jeong had the Loons’ best chance of the game in the fourth minute of stoppage time but blazed his shot high over the crossbar.

Kervin Arriaga was in the starting lineup in his usual spot at right center back. It was something of a surprise to see him anywhere in the squad given online rumors suggesting that his transfer to Serbian giants Partizan FK was a done deal.

It was the first game in Minnesota’s past four in which the Loons didn’t need to sign fill-ins from their MLS NEXT Pro squad to short-term agreements in order to (mostly) fill out their bench. Though they were one short of the allowed nine bench players, having 19 first-team players available must have seemed like a luxury to Ramsay — at least until he lost Dotson on the field.

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Alanna Smith was a defensive stalwart, Napheesa Collier had her first double-double in five games, and the Lynx stayed on a roll by beating Phoenix 73-60 on Saturday at Target Center.

Collier finished with 23 points and tied a season-high with 14 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season. Courtney Williams added 12 points, including back-to-back jumpers to quash any hopes Phoenix had of a fourth-quarter comeback. She also had a season-high nine rebounds and four assists.

Minnesota (13-3) has won six straight and nine of 10.

Its next game is the Commissioner’s Cup final Tuesday in New York. The Lynx and Liberty had the top conference records in Cup games and will compete for a $500,000 prize pool.

“We want that bag,” Williams said with a smile.

“Obviously, we’re competitors at heart so it’s gonna be competitive because of that, take the money out. Then you put that money on the line people are going to be playing hard,” added Collier. “I think it’s going to be a really great game. We need to come in really prepared and then go celebrate. Hopefully.”

Hit inside and knocked down on what felt like every third time down the floor Saturday, Smith scored 14 points and added five assists, three rebounds and two blocks. But what doesn’t totally show up in the statistics is her keying the defense on Brittney Griner. The Mercury’s 6-9 center finished with 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting.

“It was Lan’s job, and it was a big job. I think it was (also) team defense. BG is a great player, she’s taller than everyone else in the league, so all you can do is make her catches hard, make her shots hard, and try not to foul,” Collier said. “… Make it as hard as you can, and I think Lan did a good job of that tonight. And the people around did as well.”

Kahleah Copper, who scored 34 points, including the game-winner with under a second to play, when the teams met June 7, finished with just nine points on 3-of-17 shooting. In losing for the first time in three games and just the second in six, the Mercury (8-8) shot 31.1% from the field, their second-worst mark of the season. Their highest-scoring quarter was 19.
It is the second straight game Minnesota has held an opponent to 60 points or fewer. Atlanta had 55 Wednesday.

Kayla McBride, the league’s top 3-point shooter, made a 3-pointer from the left side as the halftime buzzer sounded to cap a 21-10 quarter for the Lynx and a 38-25 lead. McBride, who missed her first four tries from deep, extended her arms out, palms up, with a sly smile.

A 3-pointer by Collier started a 12-2 Minnesota run late in the third quarter that was capped by a Dorka Juhász 3, and the Lynx lead was 60-41 heading to the fourth quarter.

The Lynx have won seven straight at home and are 9-1 in Target Center this season, after going 9-11 in the arena last year. Minnesota was 7-11 in 2022, its first year with a losing home record since 2010.

“There’s an expectation in this building and we’ve embraced that this season in a way that we haven’t seen in a couple seasons,” coach Cheryl Reeve said pregame, while lauding how the fans have stuck with the team even during down times in rece­nt years.

Both teams like to shoot the 3. Minnesota finished 8 for 22, but that was still better than the 7-for-34 effort by the Mercury.

WABASHA, Minn. — Can you name the national bird of the U.S?

Technically, there isn’t one.

Minnesota DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar is co-author of legislation to change that.

The proposed legislation is a bipartisan effort to designate the bald eagle as the official bird of the U.S. The regal raptor has long been a symbol of the country. In 1782, the Continental Congress placed the bald eagle on the front of the great seal of the U.S., which is seen on the back of the dollar bill. However, there’s been no official action identifying the bald eagle as the national bird.

In announcing the proposal, Klobuchar notes Minnesota is home to a large population of bald eagles. The state is also home to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha.

“The bald eagle is a symbol of our country’s freedom and strength,” said Klobuchar in a statement announcing the proposal. “My bipartisan legislation will officially designate the bald eagle as our country’s National Bird.”

Sens. Klobuchar and Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyoming, along with Reps. Brad Finstad, a Republican, Angie Craig, a DFLer, both of Minnesota, are leading the legislative effort.

“Since the founding of our nation, the bald eagle has existed as a symbol of our country’s independence, strength and freedom,” Finstad said in a statement announcing the proposal. “I am proud to introduce this legislation which will officially classify the bald eagle as the national bird — its proper place of honor as an integral part of our national identity.”

The National Eagle Center is endorsing the effort.

“While most people assume the bald eagle is our nation’s official bird, the fact is our country doesn’t have an official bird,” Preston Cook, co-chair of the National Bird Initiative for the National Eagle Center said in a statement backing the proposed legislation. “The bison is the national mammal, the rose is the national flower, and the oak is the national tree. It’s time the bald eagle, long revered as our national symbol, finds its rightful place as our country’s official national bird.”

The initiative also has the support of the Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes, which represents 36 indigenous nations and four tribal organizations.

People can add their support to the effort by signing up for updates or making a donation at the National Eagle Center’s website, nationaleaglecenter.org.

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