Emilio Pagán throws six pitches in rehab outing, Bats fall to Saints

Emilio Pagán needed just six pitches to clear his inning Friday night, and that brief rehab stop mattered more to the Louisville Bats than the weather that eventually cut the night short. The veteran right-hander retired the side on three straight field outs, a clean first live look as he works back into game shape for Cincinnati. Louisville still fell 3-1 to the St. Paul Saints in the opener of what had been scheduled as a doubleheader at Louisville Slugger Field.

Jose Franco took over after Pagán and immediately had to pitch through traffic. A hit-by-pitch and two singles loaded the bases, then a walk forced in St. Paul’s first run. The Saints made it 2-0 on a sacrifice fly in the same first-inning sequence, turning Louisville’s early reset into a quick deficit.

The Bats answered in the fourth when Will Banfield lined an RBI single after Michael Chavis and P.J. Higgins were hit by pitches. Louisville had enough baserunners to stay in range, but it could not cash in the chances that kept piling up. St. Paul widened the gap to 3-1 in the sixth on a leadoff double and an RBI single, and that score held until rain arrived and the second game of the planned twin bill was postponed.

The weather delay pushed the teams into a Saturday doubleheader at 3:05 p.m. ET, with both games scheduled for seven innings. Louisville said tickets from Friday’s postponed game can be exchanged in person at the Louisville Slugger Field box office for a future 2026 home game of equal or lesser value, subject to availability.

The loss dropped Louisville to 40-36 as it finished the final segment of a six-game homestand against St. Paul. It also came two nights after a 4-3 setback in which the Bats launched three homers in a late comeback attempt. St. Paul entered the series with pitching rolling, with the Saints noting their staff had been having its best month since April 2025.

For Pagán, the inning was the clear headline. Six pitches is not a full workload, but it is a sharp one, and three straight outs gave the Bats a quick read on a major-league arm trying to rejoin the Cincinnati bullpen without any wasted motion. Saturday’s makeup twin bill, along with Backyard Baseball Night, a Pablo Sanchez Meet & Greet and themed Louisville Melonheads and St. Paul Fishes jerseys, kept the weekend centered on the field even after the rain pushed the night’s final game aside.