After beating St. Paul 13-2 in the series opener Tuesday, the Columbus Clippers were held in check in an afternoon contest Wednesday, managing only two hits in a 9-0 loss to the Saints. St. Paul hit five home runs en route to the win, only the third this season the Clips have been shut out. Here are our three takeaways from Wednesday’s game:

1.    It’s been feast or famine for the Clippers’ offense in the first two games at CHS Field in the Minnesota state capital. In Tuesday’s win, Columbus recorded 13 hits, 11 walks, and a hit batter. In the loss Wednesday, they had only three baserunners. Juan Brito and Cody Huff each recorded singles, while George Valera reached on a walk.

2.   In what is becoming a pattern in Clippers’ losses, starting pitching has yielded early runs. Rorik Maltrud, who has been a reliable starter this season, suffered his first loss, giving up seven runs on eight hits, including four home runs. Also true is the consistent strength of the bullpen in the late innings. Codi Heuer, Alaska Abney, and Jake Miller all tossed a scoreless inning to close out the afternoon.

3.   There has been a flurry of activity in the Clippers’ transactions list continuing after the mid-summer break. On Tuesday, Outfielder Kahlil Watson was sent back to the club from Cleveland and reliever Tanner Burns was activated from the 7-day injured list. On Wednesday, veteran pitcher Carlos Hernández, who came to the Guardians from Detroit last season, was assigned to the Clippers as he continues his rehab work. He threw his first pitch this season in Arizona earlier this month.