Royals Overpower Cardinals with Four-Run Seventh Inning, Win 8-3
Bobby Witt Jr. drove in three runs and Michael Wacha turned in a strong performance on the mound, striking out six over seven innings, as the Kansas City Royals defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 8-3 on Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals' offense came alive in the seventh inning, ignited by Maikel Garcia’s RBI single and a booming RBI triple from Witt. Salvador Perez capped the four-run inning with a two-run opposite-field homer, extending Kansas City’s lead to 6-2. Perez, the 2015 World Series MVP, celebrated the 13th anniversary of his MLB debut by going 1-for-3, with his clutch home run providing a pivotal moment in the game.
Kansas City kept the momentum going in the eighth inning, adding two more insurance runs. Kyle Isbel's RBI triple—his third hit of the game—followed by Witt’s run-scoring single, gave the Royals an 8-2 lead and put the game out of reach.
Wacha (9-6), who spent the first seven years of his career with the Cardinals, limited St. Louis to just two runs over his seven innings of work. Since a rough outing against Texas in early May, Wacha has consistently kept opposing offenses in check, not allowing more than three earned runs in any of his starts since.
Lucas Erceg, acquired by the Royals in a trade-deadline deal with the Oakland Athletics, secured the final four outs to earn his fourth save of the season.
St. Louis briefly held a 2-0 lead in the second inning, courtesy of Nolan Arenado’s infield single and Paul Goldschmidt’s 18th homer of the year, a shot to straightaway center. However, the Cardinals’ offense stalled after that, managing just one more run the rest of the way.
Cardinals starter Andre Pallante (1-4) pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits with four walks and four strikeouts. The Cardinals' bullpen struggled, giving up six runs on nine hits, allowing Kansas City to pull away.
The Royals, who improved to 6-4 in their last 10 games, will now head out on a road trip, beginning a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins on Monday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. CT.
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MATHEY GIBSON