Cardinals take the I-70 series crown; Royals avoid a sweep
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The St. Louis Cardinals have been crowned the kings of I-70, at least for now.
Over the weekend, the birds on the bat took two out of three against the Kansas City Royals. However, skipper Matt Quatraro and company did manage to avoid getting swept, courtesy of a narrow 2-1 victory on Sunday afternoon.
In that series finale, it was a Drew Waters pinch-hit triple in the seventh inning that finally sparked the Royals to overtake the Cardinals. After he led off the seventh with that three-bag knock, Maikel Garcia drove him in with a single to snap four-game losing streak.
Pitcher Lucas Erceg earned his first win of the season on the hill for KC. He didn't get the start, but threw 1.2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and punching out one batter. His five outs were important, but none more important than the three that Carlos Estevez recorded in the ninth inning. The closer shut the door on St. Louis to earn his 13th save of the season.
It was a good way to end what had been a trying series for the Royals.
On the flip side, the Cardinals had been dominant all weekend, in two very different games. STL won game one with a whole lot of offense, putting up a 10-piece on the Royals. But, they won game two with defensive and pitching prowess, shutting out Kansas City 1-0.
With a series win over their in-state rival, the Cardinals continue a hot stretch that dates back to the beginning of May. Since May 1, St. Louis has won 12 out of its last 16 games, which includes a nine-game winning streak in the middle of the month.
After that run, skipper Oli Marmol and company sit just 2.0 games behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central standings.
Meanwhile, the Kansas City Royals are still looking to right the ship, following a rough stretch of baseball where the bats have struggled to get going. Sunday's win over the Cardinals snapped a four-game skid, but KC has still only won three of its last nine game.
The two in-state rivals will meet again at Busch Stadium at the beginning of June. In that series, St. Louis will look for the season-sweep over Kansas City.
Up next - the Royals will hit the road for San Francisco. The three-game series against the Giants will start on Monday, May 19 at 8:45 p.m.
The Cardinals will head back home to St. Louis to host the Detroit Tigers. First pitch in game one of that series is set for Monday, May 19 at 6:45 p.m.
