Kansas City, MO – The Kansas City Royals avoided a series sweep at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, securing a 2-1 victory thanks to a clutch seventh-inning rally. Pinch-hitter Drew Waters ignited the offense with a leadoff triple, and Maikel Garcia followed up with a single to drive him in for the go-ahead run.
The decisive moment came in the bottom of the seventh with the game knotted at 1-1. Waters, stepping to the plate for Dairon Blanco, wasted no time, drilling the first pitch he saw from Cardinals reliever Chris Roycroft to right field for a triple. Garcia then delivered the game-winning hit on the very next pitch, singling to right to bring Waters home.
Royals reliever Lucas Erceg (1-0) earned the win, pitching five crucial outs. Carlos Estévez shut the door in the ninth, working his way around a Brendan Donovan double to secure his 13th save in 15 opportunities.
Kansas City starter Michael Wacha, facing his former team, pitched effectively, allowing just one run on eight hits over five innings while striking out six and issuing no walks. However, the Royals’ offensive struggles with Wacha on the mound continued, as they have now scored two runs or less in nine of his ten starts.
The Cardinals took an early 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when Alec Burleson launched his fourth home run of the season. The Royals responded quickly in the bottom half of the frame against Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore. Hunter Renfroe led off with a double and later scored on a two-out double by Blanco, who was making his season debut.
Liberatore pitched well for St. Louis, surrendering just one run on six hits in six innings, marking his seventh outing of at least six innings in nine starts this season. Donovan was a standout for the Cardinals, going 4-for-5 with his 15th double. Despite his efforts, the Cardinals’ three-game winning streak and impressive run of 12 wins in their last 13 games came to an end.
Salvador Perez had two hits for the Royals, breaking out of a recent slump that saw him go 1-for-21.
Despite the loss, the Cardinals still hold a commanding 50-27 all-time record at Kauffman Stadium and are 31-30 in the series when playing at home.
Looking ahead, the Royals (LHP Kris Bubic, 4-2, 1.66 ERA) will begin a six-game road trip on Monday with the first of three games against the San Francisco Giants. Pregame coverage will begin at 8:00 p.m. on Superstar Country 102.5 FM & 1530 AM KQNK, with the first pitch from Oracle Park in San Francisco scheduled for 8:45 PM.
