Cardinals Drop Series Finale to Royals, 2-1

The St. Louis Cardinals (26-21) dropped the series finale against the Kansas City Royals (26-22), 2-1, on Sunday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium. Despite tallying 12 hits, the Cardinals struggled to capitalize with runners on base, while the Royals came through with a clutch hit in the late innings.

Starting Pitchers

Matthew Liberatore (STL): 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 1 BB

Michael Wacha (KC): 5 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 6 K, 0 BB

Game Summary

4th Inning 

Alec Burleson opened the scoring with a 430-foot solo shot to center field off a low slider, giving the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.

Kansas City quickly answered with Hunter Renfroe doubling to left, then scoring on Dairon Blanco’s RBI double to right, tying the game at 1-1.

7th Inning

Chris Roycroft entered in relief and immediately allowed a pinch-hit triple to Drew Waters. Maikel Garcia followed with a go-ahead RBI single to right, putting the Royals up 2-1.

Stats and Notes

St. Louis went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left 13 runners on base.

Brendan Donovan had a four-hit day (three singles and a double) but was stranded each time.

The Cardinals now lead MLB in Outs Above Average (OAA) with 28, 10 more than the next-best team (Astros with 18).

St. Louis finishes its nine-game road trip with a strong 7-2 record, with both losses coming by a score of 2-1.

Standings Update 

The Cardinals (26-21) fall to two games behind the NL Central-leading Cubs and hold a 2.5-game lead over the third-place Reds.

Betting Recap 

Eric Sontag’s first five under pick cashed with ease. His official picks for SportsHubSTL improve to 45-35 (56.2%, +6.98 units). Follow along to cash together!

On Deck 

The Cardinals return home to open a three-game set against the Detroit Tigers. Sonny Gray is the scheduled starter for St. Louis with first pitch set for 6:45 p.m. CT.

Cards Hub Postgame: St. Louis Cardinals Lose 2-1, Win Series in KC, Finish Roadtrip 7-2

READ MORE: Walker’s Homer, Stellar Defense Lift Cardinals Past Royals 1-0