Royals torment Cardinals bullpen, claim season series over I-70 rivals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
After Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante was pulled from the game in the sixth inning, the Royals rallied to outscore their I-70 rivals by six runs in the final four innings, leading to a bounce back 8-3 win on Saturday night. With that victory, Kansas City secured an I-70 season series win over St. Louis, winning three of the four games between the two teams this year.
Paul Goldschmidt's two-run home run in the second inning and Pallante's solid performance on the mound allowed the Redbirds to enter the sixth inning with a 2-1 lead. Goldschmidt's blast was his 18th of the season, and Pallante ended the game by giving up just one earned run on three hits and four walks over 5.2 innings of work. The right-hander also tallied four strikeouts.
However, The Royals tagged the St. Louis bullpen for six earned runs over just 2.1 innings to cruise away with the advantage in the season series finale.
Kansas City's late rally ignited in the seventh inning. After tying the game in the inning prior, Maikel Garcia put the Royals ahead by one run with an RBI single. Then, Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez rounded out that four-run frame with an RBI triple and a two-run home run respectively. Perez's two-run shot gave him his 21st home run of the campaign.
The Royals' rally swelled into the eighth inning. Kyle Isbel and Witt Jr. drove two more runs across the plate with an RBI triple and single respectively to give the home team a comfortable five-run lead with just one inning left.
MJ Melendez, Witt Jr. and Isbel each finished with a multi-hit game, led by the Royals center fielder with a three-hit night at the dish. Witt Jr. led the team with a trio of RBI's. Nolan Gorman was the only player in the St. Louis dugout to record a multi-hit effort, but as a team, only one member of the team's starting nine did not reach base with a hit.
The Cardinals ended the night with 10 hits but were just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. The Royals were much more efficient in that category, taking advantage of their 12 hits by going 6-for-15 at the plate with runners in scoring position.
After Saturday's action, the Royals bolstered their lead in the American League Wild Card race, now sitting 2.5 games ahead of Boston for the last playoff spot. On the other hand, the Cardinals are still outside the National League postseason field, checking in two games behind Atlanta for the third and final wild card.
Up next - Both teams return to action on Monday, Aug. 12. Kansas City travels to Minnesota for a pivotal three-game series as both franchises try to chase down Cleveland for the American League Central division lead. St. Louis hits the road for Cincinnati, aiming to make up ground in the playoff race ahead of a tough stretch of games to close out the month of August.
