Effective immediately, Missouri Western State University Athletic Director Andy Carter has announced that the men's and women's track and field programs will be discontinued at the university.&nbsp;

"We are grateful and thankful for our student-athletes and coaches for their dedication, hard work, and the pride they have brought to our university in competition, the classroom, and the community," Carter said in a news release from the university. "This decision is in no way a reflection of their performance or commitment. It is a necessary step to address broader challenges, prepare for an ever-changing landscape in intercollegiate athletics and to ensure a sustainable future."

The decision follows a comprehensive evaluation of the university's athletic offerings and the development of a re-imagined strategic plan and facilities master plan, detailing resource allocation and long-term strategic priorities. University leadership, in partnership with the Department of Athletics, determined that these programs are not sustainable in the midst of facility limitations. 

This decision will allow a much more robust investment in the Missouri Western cross country programs.

"I am a competitor. The thought of giving up or quitting our pursuit of a new track facility is not in my nature. However, I am a realist and we have just not been able to provide the necessary facilities to support these student-athletes. It was not the outcome any of us desired, but it is the responsible thing to do," Carter added.

Student-athletes affected by this transition will be supported with compassion and assistance if they decide to go through the transfer process. The Western coaching staff and administrative services team will work with those who are close to completing their degree and support their ability to finish, provided they remain in good academic and conduct standing.&nbsp;

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostEffective immediately, Missouri Western State University Athletic Director Andy Carter has announced that the men's and women's track and field programs will be discontinued at the university.&nbsp;"We are grateful and thankful for our student-athletes and coaches for their dedication, hard work, and the pride they have brought to our university in competition, the classroom, and the community," Carter said in a news release from the university. "This decision is in no way a reflection of their performance or commitment. It is a necessary step to address broader challenges, prepare for an ever-changing landscape in intercollegiate athletics and to ensure a sustainable future."The decision follows a comprehensive evaluation of the university's athletic offerings and the development of a re-imagined strategic plan and facilities master plan, detailing resource allocation and long-term strategic priorities. University leadership, in partnership with the Department of Athletics, determined that these programs are not sustainable in the midst of facility limitations. This decision will allow a much more robust investment in the Missouri Western cross country programs."I am a competitor. The thought of giving up or quitting our pursuit of a new track facility is not in my nature. However, I am a realist and we have just not been able to provide the necessary facilities to support these student-athletes. It was not the outcome any of us desired, but it is the responsible thing to do," Carter added.Student-athletes affected by this transition will be supported with compassion and assistance if they decide to go through the transfer process. The Western coaching staff and administrative services team will work with those who are close to completing their degree and support their ability to finish, provided they remain in good academic and conduct standing.&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

MWSU opts to discontinue track and field program

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/5x1pV1bNofQfhYlT847Waj?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

KFEQ Morning Sports

The 16th season of Mustangs baseball begins tonight.&nbsp; &nbsp;

A roster with several returning faces, and several new faces as well take the field tonight at Phil Welch Stadium for Opening Day. &nbsp;

Owner and General Manager Ky Turner says after working all year to get to this day, it's a fun and fulfilling feeling to start a new season&nbsp;

"I use the word a little bit nervous, just because we don't want to screw some stuff up, we've set a standard for ourselves that I think is pretty good," Turner tells reporters.&nbsp; "So, we want to reach that standard and then continue to climb that ladder just to build that guest experience."&nbsp;

The Mustangs are coming off a season in which they won their ninth championship.&nbsp; Turner says it's hard to say how that can be topped. &nbsp;

Tuner says they can't ask the team to beat teams by more runs and can't take more than first place, but winning a championship is incredible&nbsp;

"Every one of them means something, they're incredible, you know last year told a story, every summer tells a different story," Turner explains.&nbsp; "Last year was a little written for us with Dan's (Gerson) passing to see what it was going to look like, and I don't know that's what the fun part is just to see what's going to happen this year to write a new chapter in that Mustangs history book is something we look forward to."&nbsp;

New at the stadium this year, is a new video board atop the scoreboard. Turner says the new addition is exciting to help enhance the fan experience at Phil Welch Stadium&nbsp;

"We don't want to rely solely on the board, you know say here it is, look we still want to have that fan engagement that's personable, I think that's important we don't want to lose touch with that, but this absolutely allows us to enhance some of the things we're doing," Turner says.&nbsp; "We're so thankful for the opportunity from the city and the parks tax that was passed, then also the people who help supported, the 1939 Club."&nbsp;

Turner says now they get to look to what their next project could be to continue enhancing Phil Welch into the new century&nbsp;

The Mustangs take on a new opponent tonight, the northeast Missouri Craze.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:30, a new first pitch time during weekdays with gates opening at 5:15.&nbsp;

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748397405053.jpeg" alt="Mustangs players wait for team introductions during Mustangs FanFest/ Photo by Matt Pike" />
 <figcaption>Mustangs players wait for team introductions during Mustangs FanFest/ Photo by Matt Pike</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE&nbsp;St. Joseph Post&nbsp;The 16th season of Mustangs baseball begins tonight.&nbsp; &nbsp;A roster with several returning faces, and several new faces as well take the field tonight at Phil Welch Stadium for Opening Day. &nbsp;Owner and General Manager Ky Turner says after working all year to get to this day, it's a fun and fulfilling feeling to start a new season&nbsp;"I use the word a little bit nervous, just because we don't want to screw some stuff up, we've set a standard for ourselves that I think is pretty good," Turner tells reporters.&nbsp; "So, we want to reach that standard and then continue to climb that ladder just to build that guest experience."&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748397594548.jpeg" alt="Mustangs General Manager and Owner Ky Turner addresses fans during Mustangs FanFest/ Photo by Matt Pike" />
 <figcaption>Mustangs General Manager and Owner Ky Turner addresses fans during Mustangs FanFest/ Photo by Matt Pike</figcaption>
 </figure>The Mustangs are coming off a season in which they won their ninth championship.&nbsp; Turner says it's hard to say how that can be topped. &nbsp;Tuner says they can't ask the team to beat teams by more runs and can't take more than first place, but winning a championship is incredible&nbsp;"Every one of them means something, they're incredible, you know last year told a story, every summer tells a different story," Turner explains.&nbsp; "Last year was a little written for us with Dan's (Gerson) passing to see what it was going to look like, and I don't know that's what the fun part is just to see what's going to happen this year to write a new chapter in that Mustangs history book is something we look forward to."&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748397727171.jpeg" alt="A new video board sits atop the outfield scoreboard at Phil Welch Stadium/ Photo by Matt Pike" />
 <figcaption>A new video board sits atop the outfield scoreboard at Phil Welch Stadium/ Photo by Matt Pike</figcaption>
 </figure>New at the stadium this year, is a new video board atop the scoreboard. Turner says the new addition is exciting to help enhance the fan experience at Phil Welch Stadium&nbsp;"We don't want to rely solely on the board, you know say here it is, look we still want to have that fan engagement that's personable, I think that's important we don't want to lose touch with that, but this absolutely allows us to enhance some of the things we're doing," Turner says.&nbsp; "We're so thankful for the opportunity from the city and the parks tax that was passed, then also the people who help supported, the 1939 Club."&nbsp;Turner says now they get to look to what their next project could be to continue enhancing Phil Welch into the new century&nbsp;The Mustangs take on a new opponent tonight, the northeast Missouri Craze.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:30, a new first pitch time during weekdays with gates opening at 5:15.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748397794724.jpeg" alt="East Buchanan alum Bronco Whitt (11) and Bishop LeBlond alum and current Northwest Missouri State pitcher Jaren Guck (17) sign autographs for fans during Mustangs FanFest/ Photo by Matt PIke" />
 <figcaption>East Buchanan alum Bronco Whitt (11) and Bishop LeBlond alum and current Northwest Missouri State pitcher Jaren Guck (17) sign autographs for fans during Mustangs FanFest/ Photo by Matt PIke</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748397815700.jpeg" alt="Lafayette alumni Brayden Luikart, whose back with the team after not playing last season, talks with KQ2 News Director Chris Roush during Mustangs FanFest/ Photo by Matt Pike" />
 <figcaption>Lafayette alumni Brayden Luikart, whose back with the team after not playing last season, talks with KQ2 News Director Chris Roush during Mustangs FanFest/ Photo by Matt Pike</figcaption>
 </figure>You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Opening Day is here as St. Joseph Mustangs begin 16th season tonight

Lars Nootbaar broke out of a recent slump and helped the St. Louis Cardinals come from behind to beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-4 on Tuesday night at&nbsp;Camden Yards.

With Lars Nootbaar feeling the doldrums of a 1-for-19 slump that included eight strikeouts and just one walk -- a skid that was particularly jarring considering his strong start to the season -- Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol called the usually bubbly leadoff hitter into his office&nbsp; for a pep talk.

Marmol’s pick-me-up session didn’t last more than a couple of minutes. And rather than go over technical stuff, such as hitting mechanics or swing decisions, Marmol’s message was instead heavy on perspective.

“I just stared at him, I smiled and I said, ‘I love you, buddy,’” Marmol said of the talk. “[Nootbaar] said, ‘Man, sometimes, this game is miserable, and we sign up for it every year.’ You just continue to encourage them. Because this game is hard. When they make adjustments, the league makes adjustments and then they have to make another adjustment.

“The better they understand this game is hard, and this is just a small window of this happening, the better perspective they will have. So, he’ll be fine. He actually has the right attitude, but there are times when [slumps] are going to suck.”

The talk paid off as Nootbaar had a three hit night, that started with a single in the first inning, later scoring the first run of the game on a single by&nbsp;Willson Contreras.&nbsp; In the second inning, Nootbaar hit a two run home run driving in Jordan Walker to put St. Louis ahead 3-0.&nbsp;

In the bottom of the fourth inning, a groundout by&nbsp;Heston Kjerstad plated the first Baltimore run as Ryan Mountcastle scored.&nbsp; In the fifth, the Orioles took the lead, scoring three runs thanks to Ryan O' Hearn blasting a three run homer to center field pushing Baltimore ahead 4-3.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Cardinals tied up the game in the seventh inning on a Masyn Winn single, Victor Scott II scoring after he was walked to open the inning.&nbsp; In the eighth, Nolan Arenado led the inning off with a go ahead home run, before the lead was extended on back to back triples by Nolan Gorman and Walker.&nbsp; Walker later scored on a single by Winn.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Steven Matz earned the win in relief, improving to 3-1 on the season, pitching 1 1/3 innings and giving up one hit while striking out one.&nbsp; Andre Pallante in a no decision pitched 5 2/3 innings, striking out seven while giving up all four runs, three earned, on six hits and striking out seven while walking three.&nbsp; At the plate, Nootbaar led the way going 3-4 with two RBI's and two runs scored, walking once.&nbsp;

St. Louis and Baltimore wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Miles Mikolas (4-2, 3.51 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Cade Povich (1-3, 4.86 ERA) for the Orioles.&nbsp; First pitch is at 5:35 pm, pregame will be joined at 5:25 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostLars Nootbaar broke out of a recent slump and helped the St. Louis Cardinals come from behind to beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-4 on Tuesday night at&nbsp;Camden Yards.With Lars Nootbaar feeling the doldrums of a 1-for-19 slump that included eight strikeouts and just one walk -- a skid that was particularly jarring considering his strong start to the season -- Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol called the usually bubbly leadoff hitter into his office&nbsp; for a pep talk.Marmol’s pick-me-up session didn’t last more than a couple of minutes. And rather than go over technical stuff, such as hitting mechanics or swing decisions, Marmol’s message was instead heavy on perspective.“I just stared at him, I smiled and I said, ‘I love you, buddy,’” Marmol said of the talk. “[Nootbaar] said, ‘Man, sometimes, this game is miserable, and we sign up for it every year.’ You just continue to encourage them. Because this game is hard. When they make adjustments, the league makes adjustments and then they have to make another adjustment.“The better they understand this game is hard, and this is just a small window of this happening, the better perspective they will have. So, he’ll be fine. He actually has the right attitude, but there are times when [slumps] are going to suck.”The talk paid off as Nootbaar had a three hit night, that started with a single in the first inning, later scoring the first run of the game on a single by&nbsp;Willson Contreras.&nbsp; In the second inning, Nootbaar hit a two run home run driving in Jordan Walker to put St. Louis ahead 3-0.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Two-run Noot Bomb!! 💣 <a href="https://t.co/Mg9XDbnIno">pic.twitter.com/Mg9XDbnIno</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1927500897728512481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In the bottom of the fourth inning, a groundout by&nbsp;Heston Kjerstad plated the first Baltimore run as Ryan Mountcastle scored.&nbsp; In the fifth, the Orioles took the lead, scoring three runs thanks to Ryan O' Hearn blasting a three run homer to center field pushing Baltimore ahead 4-3.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Cardinals tied up the game in the seventh inning on a Masyn Winn single, Victor Scott II scoring after he was walked to open the inning.&nbsp; In the eighth, Nolan Arenado led the inning off with a go ahead home run, before the lead was extended on back to back triples by Nolan Gorman and Walker.&nbsp; Walker later scored on a single by Winn.&nbsp;&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">NOLAN ARENADO MAKES A SPLASH!! 🌊 <a href="https://t.co/asnAXWY31m">pic.twitter.com/asnAXWY31m</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1927530727450538028?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Back-to-back triples and this dugout is FIRED UP! 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/sEADdhxgVf">pic.twitter.com/sEADdhxgVf</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1927531641855189168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Steven Matz earned the win in relief, improving to 3-1 on the season, pitching 1 1/3 innings and giving up one hit while striking out one.&nbsp; Andre Pallante in a no decision pitched 5 2/3 innings, striking out seven while giving up all four runs, three earned, on six hits and striking out seven while walking three.&nbsp; At the plate, Nootbaar led the way going 3-4 with two RBI's and two runs scored, walking once.&nbsp;St. Louis and Baltimore wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Miles Mikolas (4-2, 3.51 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Cade Povich (1-3, 4.86 ERA) for the Orioles.&nbsp; First pitch is at 5:35 pm, pregame will be joined at 5:25 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Cardinals comeback and score 7-4 win over Orioles

In search of a leadoff hitter this past offseason, the Kansas City Royals traded Brady Singer to the Cincinnati Reds for Jonathan India, and also outfielder Joey Weimer.&nbsp; On Tuesday, Singer made his return to Kansas City, and shut down the Royals offense in a 7-2 win for his new club.&nbsp;

Tyler Stephenson gave Cincinnati the lead in the top of the second inning with a solo home run, but in the bottom half of the inning Kansas City got to Singer with four singles by Maikel Garcia, Michael Massey, Kyle Isbel, and India, with Garcia and Massey scoring runs in the inning to give the Royals a lead.&nbsp; After that inning however, Kansas City managed just four more hits&nbsp;

The Reds tied the game in the fourth inning, Elly De La Cruz hitting his 10th home run of the season off of Jonathan Bowlan.&nbsp; In the sixth inning, it was De La Cruz going deep again, this time off Taylor Clarke to give Cincinnati the lead, both of&nbsp; his home runs leading off their respective innings.&nbsp;

John Schreiber replaced Clarke in the eighth inning, and the Reds added three more runs.&nbsp;&nbsp;TJ Friedl singled and then scored on a throwing error by Schreiber following a single from Santiago Espinal, who advanced to second on the error.&nbsp; Schreiber intentionally walked De La Cruz, but then issued back to back walks to Stephenson and Spencer Steer, driving in Espinal for a score.&nbsp; Angel Zerpa came on in relief and forced pinch hitter Matt McLain to ground out, but with only one out De La Cruz came home to score.&nbsp;

In the ninth inning, with Steven Cruz pitching, Espinal doubled to drive in&nbsp;Friedl for the final score of the game.&nbsp; Singer earned the win, pitching seven innings, striking out three and giving up two runs on seven hits.&nbsp;

Clarke took the loss in relief, falling to 1-1. giving up just the one run on one hit, striking out three.&nbsp; In another bullpen game, in place of the injured Cole Ragans, Kansas City used seven pitchers.&nbsp; India and Massey led the way for the Royals with two hits each, going 2-4, with Massey scoring a run and India driving a run in.&nbsp;

Kansas City and Cincinnati wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Noah Cameron (1-1, 0.93 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals in the finale against Hunter Greene (4-2, 2.54 ERA).&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:40pm, pregame coverage begins at 6 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostIn search of a leadoff hitter this past offseason, the Kansas City Royals traded Brady Singer to the Cincinnati Reds for Jonathan India, and also outfielder Joey Weimer.&nbsp; On Tuesday, Singer made his return to Kansas City, and shut down the Royals offense in a 7-2 win for his new club.&nbsp;Tyler Stephenson gave Cincinnati the lead in the top of the second inning with a solo home run, but in the bottom half of the inning Kansas City got to Singer with four singles by Maikel Garcia, Michael Massey, Kyle Isbel, and India, with Garcia and Massey scoring runs in the inning to give the Royals a lead.&nbsp; After that inning however, Kansas City managed just four more hits&nbsp;The Reds tied the game in the fourth inning, Elly De La Cruz hitting his 10th home run of the season off of Jonathan Bowlan.&nbsp; In the sixth inning, it was De La Cruz going deep again, this time off Taylor Clarke to give Cincinnati the lead, both of&nbsp; his home runs leading off their respective innings.&nbsp;John Schreiber replaced Clarke in the eighth inning, and the Reds added three more runs.&nbsp;&nbsp;TJ Friedl singled and then scored on a throwing error by Schreiber following a single from Santiago Espinal, who advanced to second on the error.&nbsp; Schreiber intentionally walked De La Cruz, but then issued back to back walks to Stephenson and Spencer Steer, driving in Espinal for a score.&nbsp; Angel Zerpa came on in relief and forced pinch hitter Matt McLain to ground out, but with only one out De La Cruz came home to score.&nbsp;In the ninth inning, with Steven Cruz pitching, Espinal doubled to drive in&nbsp;Friedl for the final score of the game.&nbsp; Singer earned the win, pitching seven innings, striking out three and giving up two runs on seven hits.&nbsp;Clarke took the loss in relief, falling to 1-1. giving up just the one run on one hit, striking out three.&nbsp; In another bullpen game, in place of the injured Cole Ragans, Kansas City used seven pitchers.&nbsp; India and Massey led the way for the Royals with two hits each, going 2-4, with Massey scoring a run and India driving a run in.&nbsp;Kansas City and Cincinnati wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Noah Cameron (1-1, 0.93 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals in the finale against Hunter Greene (4-2, 2.54 ERA).&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:40pm, pregame coverage begins at 6 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Former Royal Singer has successful return in 7-2 win over Royals

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/6u0uCRmGsXyHY9gNiFkn7B?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

Following a month-long reset in the bullpen, Charlie Morton was reinserted into the Orioles’ rotation for a Memorial Day matchup&nbsp; against the St. Louis Cardinals at Camden Yards. The veteran proceeded to deliver his best performance thus far, cruising for the majority of a season-high six innings and allowing only two runs as the Cardinals fell 5-2 to Baltimore.&nbsp;

Baltimore scored all their runs in the first five innings, which would be all the offense the O's would need.&nbsp; Jackson Holliday scored a run on a groundout by Gunnar Henderson in the first inning for the first run of the game.&nbsp; In the third inning, it was Holliday singling to drive in former Cardinal Dylan Carlson, before in the fourth inning, Carlson hit a three run home run, scoring himself,&nbsp; Ryan O'Hearn, and Heston Kjerstad for the 5-0 lead.&nbsp;

Morton’s strong 86-pitch outing -- which featured five strikeouts and only four hits allowed, including the only offense the Cardinals got in the fifth inning, a two run home run by Pedro Pagés, rewarded the patience of the Orioles, who remained “very confident” he could get on track, as interim manager Tony Mansolino put it.

After going 0-5 with a 10.89 ERA over his first five O’s starts, Morton was sent to the bullpen. At first, the results weren’t much better (a 6.43 ERA in his first three relief outings). Then, something clicked in Anaheim on May 10, when he tossed two perfect innings.&nbsp; Morton has a 2.35 ERA in 15 1/3 innings over his past four appearances, the most recent earning him his first Orioles win.

Erick Fedde took the loss for the Cardinals, falling to 3-4 on the season, giving up five runs, just three earned, on seven hits while striking out five batters and walking one.&nbsp; Nolan Gorman led at the plate for St. Louis, going 2-3 with one run scored.&nbsp;&nbsp;

St. Louis and Baltimore continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; &nbsp;Andre Pallante (4-3, 4.18 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Tomoyuki Sugano (4-3, 3.07 ERA) for the Orioles.&nbsp; First pitch is at 5:35pm, pregame coverage will be joined at 5:25 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostFollowing a month-long reset in the bullpen, Charlie Morton was reinserted into the Orioles’ rotation for a Memorial Day matchup&nbsp; against the St. Louis Cardinals at Camden Yards. The veteran proceeded to deliver his best performance thus far, cruising for the majority of a season-high six innings and allowing only two runs as the Cardinals fell 5-2 to Baltimore.&nbsp;Baltimore scored all their runs in the first five innings, which would be all the offense the O's would need.&nbsp; Jackson Holliday scored a run on a groundout by Gunnar Henderson in the first inning for the first run of the game.&nbsp; In the third inning, it was Holliday singling to drive in former Cardinal Dylan Carlson, before in the fourth inning, Carlson hit a three run home run, scoring himself,&nbsp; Ryan O'Hearn, and Heston Kjerstad for the 5-0 lead.&nbsp;Morton’s strong 86-pitch outing -- which featured five strikeouts and only four hits allowed, including the only offense the Cardinals got in the fifth inning, a two run home run by Pedro Pagés, rewarded the patience of the Orioles, who remained “very confident” he could get on track, as interim manager Tony Mansolino put it.After going 0-5 with a 10.89 ERA over his first five O’s starts, Morton was sent to the bullpen. At first, the results weren’t much better (a 6.43 ERA in his first three relief outings). Then, something clicked in Anaheim on May 10, when he tossed two perfect innings.&nbsp; Morton has a 2.35 ERA in 15 1/3 innings over his past four appearances, the most recent earning him his first Orioles win.Erick Fedde took the loss for the Cardinals, falling to 3-4 on the season, giving up five runs, just three earned, on seven hits while striking out five batters and walking one.&nbsp; Nolan Gorman led at the plate for St. Louis, going 2-3 with one run scored.&nbsp;&nbsp;St. Louis and Baltimore continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; &nbsp;Andre Pallante (4-3, 4.18 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Tomoyuki Sugano (4-3, 3.07 ERA) for the Orioles.&nbsp; First pitch is at 5:35pm, pregame coverage will be joined at 5:25 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Surging Cardinals slowed down by Charlie Morton in 5-2 loss to O's

Needing some length from their starting pitcher after a series against the Chicago Cubs that taxed their bullpen, the Cincinnati Reds got a quality start from Nick Martinez as they beat the Royals 7-4 at Kauffman Stadium on Memorial Day.&nbsp;

For the Royals, it was their sixth loss in their last ten games as Kansas City has seen their offense be stagnant as of late.&nbsp; Prior to the game on Monday, the Royals made a move to spark the lineup, optioning struggling utility player Cavan Biggio to Triple A Omaha for outfielder John Rave.&nbsp; Rave was having a breakout season in Omaha, posting a .301 average with nine home runs and 25 RBIs.&nbsp;

The Reds opened the scoring in the first inning,&nbsp;TJ Friedl scoring on a sacrifice fly by Austin Hays.&nbsp; Cincinnati added three more runs in the third inning as Gavin Lux singled home Elly De La Cruz, Tyler Stephenson hit a single to drive in Hays, and Lux scored on a sacrifice fly by Will Benson.&nbsp; The lead swelled even more in the fifth inning off Royals starter Michael Lorenzen when Stephenson hit a two run home run, putting the Reds up at the end of five innings 6-0.&nbsp;

Kansas City did begin to make a rally in the seventh inning, cutting the lead in half with a three run inning.&nbsp; Vinnie Pasquantino singled to open the inning before Salvador Perez blasted his fourth home run of the season to left field.&nbsp; Maikel Garcia followed that with a double and advanced to third on a bunt by Rave, that was initially called safe before being overturned on a challenge, and then scored on a sacrifice fly from Nick Loftin cutting the lead to 6-3.&nbsp;

Santiago Espinal doubled home Hays, who tripled, in the top of the eighth for the final run for the Reds.&nbsp; Kansas City added their final run in the ninth inning after loading the bases, Pasquantino coming home to score on a balk by relief pitcher&nbsp;Emilio Pagán.

Lorenzen fell to 3-6 with the loss, pitching five innings and giving up six runs on 11 hits, striking out two and walking three.&nbsp; Angel Zerpa, Evan Sisk, and Steven Cruz combined to give up three hits, one run, with Sisk and Cruz each striking out three.&nbsp; At the plate, Pasquantino led the way going 3-4 with two runs scored

Kansas City and Cincinnati continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Daniel Lynch (3-1, 1.57 ERA) will get the start as the Royals will put together another bullpen game, taking on former Royal Brady Singer (5-3, 4.88 ERA) for the Reds.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:40pm, pregame coverage begins at 6 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostNeeding some length from their starting pitcher after a series against the Chicago Cubs that taxed their bullpen, the Cincinnati Reds got a quality start from Nick Martinez as they beat the Royals 7-4 at Kauffman Stadium on Memorial Day.&nbsp;For the Royals, it was their sixth loss in their last ten games as Kansas City has seen their offense be stagnant as of late.&nbsp; Prior to the game on Monday, the Royals made a move to spark the lineup, optioning struggling utility player Cavan Biggio to Triple A Omaha for outfielder John Rave.&nbsp; Rave was having a breakout season in Omaha, posting a .301 average with nine home runs and 25 RBIs.&nbsp;The Reds opened the scoring in the first inning,&nbsp;TJ Friedl scoring on a sacrifice fly by Austin Hays.&nbsp; Cincinnati added three more runs in the third inning as Gavin Lux singled home Elly De La Cruz, Tyler Stephenson hit a single to drive in Hays, and Lux scored on a sacrifice fly by Will Benson.&nbsp; The lead swelled even more in the fifth inning off Royals starter Michael Lorenzen when Stephenson hit a two run home run, putting the Reds up at the end of five innings 6-0.&nbsp;Kansas City did begin to make a rally in the seventh inning, cutting the lead in half with a three run inning.&nbsp; Vinnie Pasquantino singled to open the inning before Salvador Perez blasted his fourth home run of the season to left field.&nbsp; Maikel Garcia followed that with a double and advanced to third on a bunt by Rave, that was initially called safe before being overturned on a challenge, and then scored on a sacrifice fly from Nick Loftin cutting the lead to 6-3.&nbsp;Santiago Espinal doubled home Hays, who tripled, in the top of the eighth for the final run for the Reds.&nbsp; Kansas City added their final run in the ninth inning after loading the bases, Pasquantino coming home to score on a balk by relief pitcher&nbsp;Emilio Pagán.Lorenzen fell to 3-6 with the loss, pitching five innings and giving up six runs on 11 hits, striking out two and walking three.&nbsp; Angel Zerpa, Evan Sisk, and Steven Cruz combined to give up three hits, one run, with Sisk and Cruz each striking out three.&nbsp; At the plate, Pasquantino led the way going 3-4 with two runs scoredKansas City and Cincinnati continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Daniel Lynch (3-1, 1.57 ERA) will get the start as the Royals will put together another bullpen game, taking on former Royal Brady Singer (5-3, 4.88 ERA) for the Reds.&nbsp; First pitch is at 6:40pm, pregame coverage begins at 6 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Martinez's quality start saves Reds bullpen in 7-4 series opening win over Royals

The St. Louis Cardinals bounced back from a tough luck series against the Detroit Tigers in a big way, sweeping the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 4-3 win on Sunday afternoon at Busch Stadium.&nbsp;

The sweep didn't come easy as for the first time in the series it was the Cardinals that had to come from behind, as Arizona took the lead in the first inning,&nbsp;Eugenio Suárez singling and driving in Ketel Marte and Josh Naylor.&nbsp; 

St. Louis cut the lead to one in the bottom half of the inning,&nbsp;Iván Herrera singling home Brendan Donovan.&nbsp; Masyn Winn tied up the game in the bottom of the third inning, a solo home run to left field, his sixth home run of the season that sailed 397 feet.&nbsp;

The Diamondbacks took the lead back in the top of the sixth inning, Pavin Smith singling to drive in&nbsp;Suárez, but the Cardinals tied up the game again the bottom half of the inning after Winn, who walked to open the inning and raced to third on a single by Donovan, scored on a sacrifice fly by Herrera.&nbsp;

In the seventh inning, it was Victor Scott II who delivered the clutch go ahead hit for St. Louis.&nbsp;&nbsp;The D-backs adjusted just the way the numbers called for them to bringing in left-handed pitcher Jalen Beeks out of the bullpen against the left hander Scott.&nbsp; Despite hitting just .191 this season against lefties entering Sunday -- .121 points less than his batting average against right-handed pitchers -- Scott drilled a hard-hit single that Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte couldn’t handle to plate Jordan Walker and put the Cardinals ahead 4-3.

JoJo Romero pitched a scoreless eighth, just walking one batter, before Phil Maton came on in the ninth, striking out two and giving up one hit on way to his second save of the season.&nbsp; John King, who pitched the seventh, earned his first win of the season.&nbsp; At the plate, Donovan led the way going 3-4 with one run scored.&nbsp; Walker was 2-3 with a run scored as well.&nbsp;

St. Louis hits the road tomorrow and travels to Baltimore.&nbsp; Erick Fedde (3-3, 3.77 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against Charlie Morton (0-7, 7.68 ERA) for the Orioles.&nbsp; First pitch is at 2:05 with pregame being joined at 1:55 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe St. Louis Cardinals bounced back from a tough luck series against the Detroit Tigers in a big way, sweeping the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 4-3 win on Sunday afternoon at Busch Stadium.&nbsp;The sweep didn't come easy as for the first time in the series it was the Cardinals that had to come from behind, as Arizona took the lead in the first inning,&nbsp;Eugenio Suárez singling and driving in Ketel Marte and Josh Naylor.&nbsp; St. Louis cut the lead to one in the bottom half of the inning,&nbsp;Iván Herrera singling home Brendan Donovan.&nbsp; Masyn Winn tied up the game in the bottom of the third inning, a solo home run to left field, his sixth home run of the season that sailed 397 feet.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Masyn Winn Hit the Buds to tie the game! Reply with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/STLCards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#STLCards</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HitTheBudsSweepstakes?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HitTheBudsSweepstakes</a> for your chance to win whenever a Cardinals player hits a home run into the opposing bullpen! Official rules: <a href="https://t.co/v3V0xNP2oe">https://t.co/v3V0xNP2oe</a> <a href="https://t.co/3raQj0n2JJ">pic.twitter.com/3raQj0n2JJ</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1926718657071124824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Diamondbacks took the lead back in the top of the sixth inning, Pavin Smith singling to drive in&nbsp;Suárez, but the Cardinals tied up the game again the bottom half of the inning after Winn, who walked to open the inning and raced to third on a single by Donovan, scored on a sacrifice fly by Herrera.&nbsp;In the seventh inning, it was Victor Scott II who delivered the clutch go ahead hit for St. Louis.&nbsp;&nbsp;The D-backs adjusted just the way the numbers called for them to bringing in left-handed pitcher Jalen Beeks out of the bullpen against the left hander Scott.&nbsp; Despite hitting just .191 this season against lefties entering Sunday -- .121 points less than his batting average against right-handed pitchers -- Scott drilled a hard-hit single that Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte couldn’t handle to plate Jordan Walker and put the Cardinals ahead 4-3.JoJo Romero pitched a scoreless eighth, just walking one batter, before Phil Maton came on in the ninth, striking out two and giving up one hit on way to his second save of the season.&nbsp; John King, who pitched the seventh, earned his first win of the season.&nbsp; At the plate, Donovan led the way going 3-4 with one run scored.&nbsp; Walker was 2-3 with a run scored as well.&nbsp;St. Louis hits the road tomorrow and travels to Baltimore.&nbsp; Erick Fedde (3-3, 3.77 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against Charlie Morton (0-7, 7.68 ERA) for the Orioles.&nbsp; First pitch is at 2:05 with pregame being joined at 1:55 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Clutch hit from Scott helps Cardinals sweep D-Backs with 4-3 win

The Kansas City Royals avoided being swept by their AL Central foes and saved themselves from losing to much ground in the standings on Sunday afternoon, beating the Minnesota Twins 2-1 at Target Field.&nbsp;

Royal starting pitcher Kris Bubic continued his stellar month of May on the mound, giving up just one run early in the game as the Twins did take the lead in the first inning, Ryan Jeffers doubling to lead off the inning and then being driven in on a single by Ty France.&nbsp; Bubic locked in from there though and shut down Minnesota the rest of the way.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Bubic pitched seven innings and struck out nine batters, giving up just those two hits and walking two batters.&nbsp; He earned a no decision after the Royals managed to tie up the game in the seventh inning as Drew Waters doubled and scored on a double by Freddy Fermin.&nbsp;

Jonathan Bowlan replaced Bubic in the eighth and recorded two outs, giving up one hit, before being replaced by Carlos&nbsp;Estévez who finished out the inning.&nbsp;&nbsp;Estévez pitched the ninth as well, continuing to shut down the Twins bats, giving up no hits and striking out two.&nbsp;

Kansas City gave&nbsp;Estévez the lead in the top of the 10th inning, with Nick Loftin starting at second base and two outs, Maikel Garcia singling into left field, extending his hit streak to 10 games, and driving in Loftin who raced home from second base for the 2-1 lead.&nbsp;

Taylor Clarke came on in the bottom half of the inning looking for his first save of the season and got Royce Lewis to pop out before walking Kody Clemens.&nbsp; Harrison Bader grounded into a force out, beating out the throw at first base to avoid the game ending double play and putting runners at the corners for Clarke.&nbsp; Bader would go on to steal second base, but Brooks Lee grounded out to Bobby Witt Jr ending the game.&nbsp;

Estévez improved to 2-0 earning the win, Clarke notched his first save of the season.&nbsp; At the plate, Waters led the way going 3-4 with one run scored while Vinnie Pasquantino was 2-4.

Kansas City returns to Kauffman Stadium tomorrow, welcoming in the Cincinnati Reds.&nbsp; Michael Lorenzen (3-5, 3.77 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against Nick Martinez (2-5, 3.43 ERA) for the Reds.&nbsp; First pitch is at 3:10pm, pregame coverage begins at 2:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).&nbsp;

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe Kansas City Royals avoided being swept by their AL Central foes and saved themselves from losing to much ground in the standings on Sunday afternoon, beating the Minnesota Twins 2-1 at Target Field.&nbsp;Royal starting pitcher Kris Bubic continued his stellar month of May on the mound, giving up just one run early in the game as the Twins did take the lead in the first inning, Ryan Jeffers doubling to lead off the inning and then being driven in on a single by Ty France.&nbsp; Bubic locked in from there though and shut down Minnesota the rest of the way.&nbsp;&nbsp;Bubic pitched seven innings and struck out nine batters, giving up just those two hits and walking two batters.&nbsp; He earned a no decision after the Royals managed to tie up the game in the seventh inning as Drew Waters doubled and scored on a double by Freddy Fermin.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Count on Fred. <a href="https://t.co/lVnXwXmHWC">pic.twitter.com/lVnXwXmHWC</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1926726039356444899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Jonathan Bowlan replaced Bubic in the eighth and recorded two outs, giving up one hit, before being replaced by Carlos&nbsp;Estévez who finished out the inning.&nbsp;&nbsp;Estévez pitched the ninth as well, continuing to shut down the Twins bats, giving up no hits and striking out two.&nbsp;Kansas City gave&nbsp;Estévez the lead in the top of the 10th inning, with Nick Loftin starting at second base and two outs, Maikel Garcia singling into left field, extending his hit streak to 10 games, and driving in Loftin who raced home from second base for the 2-1 lead.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Count it. <a href="https://t.co/dmeATFH5tn">pic.twitter.com/dmeATFH5tn</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1926739287619281350?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Taylor Clarke came on in the bottom half of the inning looking for his first save of the season and got Royce Lewis to pop out before walking Kody Clemens.&nbsp; Harrison Bader grounded into a force out, beating out the throw at first base to avoid the game ending double play and putting runners at the corners for Clarke.&nbsp; Bader would go on to steal second base, but Brooks Lee grounded out to Bobby Witt Jr ending the game.&nbsp;Estévez improved to 2-0 earning the win, Clarke notched his first save of the season.&nbsp; At the plate, Waters led the way going 3-4 with one run scored while Vinnie Pasquantino was 2-4.Kansas City returns to Kauffman Stadium tomorrow, welcoming in the Cincinnati Reds.&nbsp; Michael Lorenzen (3-5, 3.77 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against Nick Martinez (2-5, 3.43 ERA) for the Reds.&nbsp; First pitch is at 3:10pm, pregame coverage begins at 2:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Royals avoid sweep with 2-1 extra innings win over Twins

Jordan Walker delivered a clutch hit in the seventh inning, and then again in the eighth, as the St. Louis Cardinals claimed the series from the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 6-5 win at Busch Stadium on Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;

St. Louis opened the scoring and took the lead in the bottom of the first when&nbsp;Iván Herrera singled home Masyn Winn.&nbsp; But in the top of the fifth inning, former Cardinal Randal Grichuk tied up the game with a leadoff solo home run for the Diamondbacks.&nbsp; The home run was the lone run starter&nbsp;Matthew Liberatore gave up for St. Louis, before being pulled in the eighth inning.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Cardinals had set up Liberatore for a win, scoring three runs in the bottom half of the seventh inning.&nbsp; Alec Burleson singled and Nolan Arenado walked before Walker hit a double to the center field wall plating both runs for the St. Louis lead.&nbsp; Walker came around to score on back to back ground outs by Victor Scott II and Yohel Pozo.

Liberatore though ended up with a no decision, after Arizona scored four runs in the top of the eighth off relievers Kyle Leahy and Steven Matz to take their first lead of the game.&nbsp; Ketel Marte doubled to lead off the inning and Geraldo Perdomo singled before Marte scored on a sacrifice fly by&nbsp;Lourdes Gurriel Jr.&nbsp;&nbsp;Eugenio Suárez singled off Leahy, who would be replaced by Matz, putting runners on the corners and Josh Naylor promptly cleared the bases off Matz with a triple, tying up the game.&nbsp; A double by Grichuk with two outs drove in Naylor to give the Diamondbacks a 5-4 lead.&nbsp;

Trailing entering the bottom half of the eighth, it was Walker again that came up clutch for the Cardinals.&nbsp; Herrera walked to open the inning and Burleson doubled, putting both in scoring position.&nbsp; Arenado grounded out, driving in Herrera, before Walker singled into center field to drive in Burleson for the go ahead run.&nbsp; Ryan Helsley closed out the game, and earned the win.

Despite Matz being the pitcher on record when the Cardinals took the lead back, Helsley was the pitcher credited with the win due to rule 9.17 c of the MLB rule book which states:&nbsp;

(c) The Official Scorer shall not credit as the winning pitcher a relief pitcher who is ineffective in a brief appearance, when at least one succeeding relief pitcher pitches effectively in helping his team maintain its lead. In such a case, the Official Scorer shall credit as the winning pitcher the succeeding relief pitcher who was most effective, in the judgment of the Official Scorer.

With the win, Helsley improves now to 2-0 on the season, giving up one hit and walking one in his one inning while striking out two.&nbsp; At the plate, Walker (2-3, 3 RBIs, 1 run) and Burleson (2-4, 2 runs) led the way hitting in the win.&nbsp;

St. Louis and Arizona wrap up their series tomorrow as St. Louis looks for the sweep.&nbsp; Sonny Gray (5-1, 4.02 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Brandon Pfaadt (7-3, 3.81 ERA) for the Diamondbacks.&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:15 pm with pregame being joined at 1:05 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostJordan Walker delivered a clutch hit in the seventh inning, and then again in the eighth, as the St. Louis Cardinals claimed the series from the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 6-5 win at Busch Stadium on Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;St. Louis opened the scoring and took the lead in the bottom of the first when&nbsp;Iván Herrera singled home Masyn Winn.&nbsp; But in the top of the fifth inning, former Cardinal Randal Grichuk tied up the game with a leadoff solo home run for the Diamondbacks.&nbsp; The home run was the lone run starter&nbsp;Matthew Liberatore gave up for St. Louis, before being pulled in the eighth inning.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Cardinals had set up Liberatore for a win, scoring three runs in the bottom half of the seventh inning.&nbsp; Alec Burleson singled and Nolan Arenado walked before Walker hit a double to the center field wall plating both runs for the St. Louis lead.&nbsp; Walker came around to score on back to back ground outs by Victor Scott II and Yohel Pozo.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">FIRE US UP, JORDAN WALKER!! 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/u9Qxl3wgKK">pic.twitter.com/u9Qxl3wgKK</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1926366613722284054?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Liberatore though ended up with a no decision, after Arizona scored four runs in the top of the eighth off relievers Kyle Leahy and Steven Matz to take their first lead of the game.&nbsp; Ketel Marte doubled to lead off the inning and Geraldo Perdomo singled before Marte scored on a sacrifice fly by&nbsp;Lourdes Gurriel Jr.&nbsp;&nbsp;Eugenio Suárez singled off Leahy, who would be replaced by Matz, putting runners on the corners and Josh Naylor promptly cleared the bases off Matz with a triple, tying up the game.&nbsp; A double by Grichuk with two outs drove in Naylor to give the Diamondbacks a 5-4 lead.&nbsp;Trailing entering the bottom half of the eighth, it was Walker again that came up clutch for the Cardinals.&nbsp; Herrera walked to open the inning and Burleson doubled, putting both in scoring position.&nbsp; Arenado grounded out, driving in Herrera, before Walker singled into center field to drive in Burleson for the go ahead run.&nbsp; Ryan Helsley closed out the game, and earned the win.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Jordan Walker comes up clutch again!! <a href="https://t.co/JJVfsDZwxR">pic.twitter.com/JJVfsDZwxR</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1926375525775184259?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Despite Matz being the pitcher on record when the Cardinals took the lead back, Helsley was the pitcher credited with the win due to rule 9.17 c of the MLB rule book which states:&nbsp;(c) The Official Scorer shall not credit as the winning pitcher a relief pitcher who is ineffective in a brief appearance, when at least one succeeding relief pitcher pitches effectively in helping his team maintain its lead. In such a case, the Official Scorer shall credit as the winning pitcher the succeeding relief pitcher who was most effective, in the judgment of the Official Scorer.With the win, Helsley improves now to 2-0 on the season, giving up one hit and walking one in his one inning while striking out two.&nbsp; At the plate, Walker (2-3, 3 RBIs, 1 run) and Burleson (2-4, 2 runs) led the way hitting in the win.&nbsp;St. Louis and Arizona wrap up their series tomorrow as St. Louis looks for the sweep.&nbsp; Sonny Gray (5-1, 4.02 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Brandon Pfaadt (7-3, 3.81 ERA) for the Diamondbacks.&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:15 pm with pregame being joined at 1:05 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Walker delivers clutch hit twice as Cards claim series, top D-Backs 6-5

For a second consecutive day, the Minnesota Twins won over the Kansas City Royals in walk off fashion, coming back and winning 5-4 in the middle game of a three game series at Target Field on Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;

The Royals had tough luck at the plate in the matchup, striking out 18 times against the Twins pitchers and going just 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position. It was however Kansas City that took the lead first in the game.

Maikel Garcia put the Royals on the board in the third inning, singling with the bases loaded and driving in Freddy Fermin and Vinnie Pasquantino.&nbsp; Kansas City added their final two runs in the fifth inning, Pasquantino doubling home Jonathan India who walked to open the inning, and Salvador Perez singling to score Pasquantino.

In the bottom half of the fifth, Minnesota cut the lead to one scoring three runs, a big inning that started with a leadoff home run by Harrison Bader.&nbsp; Willi Castro was hit by a pitch and&nbsp;Christian Vázquez singled, and after both advanced on a groundout by Trevor Larnach, Ty France singled to drive in both runs.&nbsp; In the bottom of the sixth,&nbsp;Kody Clemens tied up the game with another solo shot leading off the inning.&nbsp;

Angel Zerpa, who replaced starter Michael Wacha following the leadoff home run, John Schreiber, and Lucas Erceg combined for three scoreless innings before Daniel Lynch was brought on in the ninth inning.&nbsp; Lynch ran into trouble, walking Carlos Correa and Ryan Jeffers, getting&nbsp;Vázquez to pop out between the walks, before being replaced by Steven Cruz.&nbsp; Cruz got France to ground out, advancing Correa and Jeffers to second and third respectively, but couldn't get out of the inning giving up the walk off single to Brooks Lee, scoring Correa.&nbsp;

Lynch was charged with the loss, falling to 3-1 on the season.&nbsp; Wacha in the no decision pitched five innings giving up four runs on seven hits, striking out one and walking one.&nbsp; Pasquantino led the way at the plate going 3-4 with one RBI and two runs scored.&nbsp;

Kansas City and Minnesota wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Kris Bubic (5-2, 1.47 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals in the finale against&nbsp;Bailey Ober (4-1, 3.68 ERA) for the Twins.&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:10pm with pregame at 12:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostFor a second consecutive day, the Minnesota Twins won over the Kansas City Royals in walk off fashion, coming back and winning 5-4 in the middle game of a three game series at Target Field on Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;The Royals had tough luck at the plate in the matchup, striking out 18 times against the Twins pitchers and going just 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position. It was however Kansas City that took the lead first in the game.Maikel Garcia put the Royals on the board in the third inning, singling with the bases loaded and driving in Freddy Fermin and Vinnie Pasquantino.&nbsp; Kansas City added their final two runs in the fifth inning, Pasquantino doubling home Jonathan India who walked to open the inning, and Salvador Perez singling to score Pasquantino.In the bottom half of the fifth, Minnesota cut the lead to one scoring three runs, a big inning that started with a leadoff home run by Harrison Bader.&nbsp; Willi Castro was hit by a pitch and&nbsp;Christian Vázquez singled, and after both advanced on a groundout by Trevor Larnach, Ty France singled to drive in both runs.&nbsp; In the bottom of the sixth,&nbsp;Kody Clemens tied up the game with another solo shot leading off the inning.&nbsp;Angel Zerpa, who replaced starter Michael Wacha following the leadoff home run, John Schreiber, and Lucas Erceg combined for three scoreless innings before Daniel Lynch was brought on in the ninth inning.&nbsp; Lynch ran into trouble, walking Carlos Correa and Ryan Jeffers, getting&nbsp;Vázquez to pop out between the walks, before being replaced by Steven Cruz.&nbsp; Cruz got France to ground out, advancing Correa and Jeffers to second and third respectively, but couldn't get out of the inning giving up the walk off single to Brooks Lee, scoring Correa.&nbsp;Lynch was charged with the loss, falling to 3-1 on the season.&nbsp; Wacha in the no decision pitched five innings giving up four runs on seven hits, striking out one and walking one.&nbsp; Pasquantino led the way at the plate going 3-4 with one RBI and two runs scored.&nbsp;Kansas City and Minnesota wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Kris Bubic (5-2, 1.47 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals in the finale against&nbsp;Bailey Ober (4-1, 3.68 ERA) for the Twins.&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:10pm with pregame at 12:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Royals fall again to Twins in walk off fashion losing 5-4

Upon being moved out of the cleanup role and into the No. 6 spot in the Cardinals’ batting order, struggling&nbsp; third baseman Nolan Arenado was his own worst critic while wondering if his swing would ever come back to him again.

“I don't really have an answer,” Arenado said at the time of the demotion in the lineup. “Just play better, play more the way I think I'm capable of. But it's been a minute since I’ve felt like I could play the way I should. So, I don't know if it's coming back or not.”

Arenado proved himself plenty clutch though Friday night at Busch Stadium, driving a two-out triple into the left-center gap to score three runs and propel the Cardinals to a 4-3 defeat of the Arizona Diamondbacks in their series opener.&nbsp;

After Arizona took the lead in the game in the fourth inning, a solo home run by Ketel Marte, Arenado's triple came as part of a four run inning that gave St. Louis the lead for good.&nbsp; Victor Scott II singled and Lars Nootbaar walked before Masyn Winn advanced both with a sacrifice bunt.&nbsp; 

Diamondbacks starter Zach Gallen intentionally walked Brendan Donovan to load the bases, but then walked&nbsp;Iván Herrera to tie the game scoring Scott.&nbsp;&nbsp;After Alec Burleson struck out, Arenado stepped to the plate and delivered the clutch go ahead hit, driving in Nootbaar, Donovan and Herrera

Arizona did threaten against Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley in the ninth inning.&nbsp; Randal Grichuk singled, advancing later in the inning to second on runner indifference.&nbsp; With two outs,&nbsp;Gabriel Moreno homered off Helsley, driving in Grichuk to make it a one run game, but Helsley forced Corbin Carroll to pop out in the very next at bat to end the game, earning his 10th save.&nbsp;

Miles Mikolas earned the win, improving to 4-2 on the season, pitching six innings and giving up four hits and one run, striking out four and walking one.&nbsp; With just seven combined hits in the game, the Cardinals had four overall, Scott leading the way going 2-3 at the plate with a run.&nbsp;

St. Louis and Arizona continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp;&nbsp;Matthew Liberatore (3-3, 2.92 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Merrill Kelly (5-2, 3.26 ERA) for the Diamondbacks.&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:15pm, pregame will be joined at 1:05 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostUpon being moved out of the cleanup role and into the No. 6 spot in the Cardinals’ batting order, struggling&nbsp; third baseman Nolan Arenado was his own worst critic while wondering if his swing would ever come back to him again.“I don't really have an answer,” Arenado said at the time of the demotion in the lineup. “Just play better, play more the way I think I'm capable of. But it's been a minute since I’ve felt like I could play the way I should. So, I don't know if it's coming back or not.”Arenado proved himself plenty clutch though Friday night at Busch Stadium, driving a two-out triple into the left-center gap to score three runs and propel the Cardinals to a 4-3 defeat of the Arizona Diamondbacks in their series opener.&nbsp;After Arizona took the lead in the game in the fourth inning, a solo home run by Ketel Marte, Arenado's triple came as part of a four run inning that gave St. Louis the lead for good.&nbsp; Victor Scott II singled and Lars Nootbaar walked before Masyn Winn advanced both with a sacrifice bunt.&nbsp; Diamondbacks starter Zach Gallen intentionally walked Brendan Donovan to load the bases, but then walked&nbsp;Iván Herrera to tie the game scoring Scott.&nbsp;&nbsp;After Alec Burleson struck out, Arenado stepped to the plate and delivered the clutch go ahead hit, driving in Nootbaar, Donovan and Herrera<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">BASES CLEARING TRIPLE FOR NOLAN ARENADO!! <a href="https://t.co/dTjm4N6XP9">pic.twitter.com/dTjm4N6XP9</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1926094306466509308?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Arizona did threaten against Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley in the ninth inning.&nbsp; Randal Grichuk singled, advancing later in the inning to second on runner indifference.&nbsp; With two outs,&nbsp;Gabriel Moreno homered off Helsley, driving in Grichuk to make it a one run game, but Helsley forced Corbin Carroll to pop out in the very next at bat to end the game, earning his 10th save.&nbsp;Miles Mikolas earned the win, improving to 4-2 on the season, pitching six innings and giving up four hits and one run, striking out four and walking one.&nbsp; With just seven combined hits in the game, the Cardinals had four overall, Scott leading the way going 2-3 at the plate with a run.&nbsp;St. Louis and Arizona continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp;&nbsp;Matthew Liberatore (3-3, 2.92 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals against&nbsp;Merrill Kelly (5-2, 3.26 ERA) for the Diamondbacks.&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:15pm, pregame will be joined at 1:05 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Arenado's triple fuels Cardinals 4-3 series opening win over Diamondbacks

St. Joseph's Noah Cameron put on another solid starting performance in his third major league start, but Ty France hit a two run walk off home run off Lucas Erceg to give the Minnesota Twins a 3-1 win at Target Field in the series opener on Friday night.&nbsp;

The Royals opened the scoring in the first giving Cameron the lead when Cavan Biggio doubled home Jonathan India who was hit by a pitch to open the inning.&nbsp; Cameron retired the Twins 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first, but in the second inning, Carlos Correa led off the inning tying up the game with a solo home run.&nbsp;

After the home run, Cameron locked in, but so did Twins starter Pablo López as the score remained 1-1 until the ninth inning. Neither Cameron or López allowed a runner past second base while they were on the mound. López was pulled in the sixth inning with two outs after a Michael Massey single, while Cameron pitched into the seventh, also being pulled with two outs after walking Jonah Bride.

John Schreiber replaced Cameron and pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings striking out two before being replaced by Erceg in the ninth.&nbsp; Erceg struck out Trevor Larnach to open the inning, before giving up a single to Correa and then the home run to France, dropping Erceg to 1-1 on the season.&nbsp;

Cameron, in his no decision, pitched 6 2/3 innings giving up four hits and one run, striking out eight batters, a new career high, and walking one.&nbsp; On the season, Cameron has given up six hits, two runs, has walked six batters and struck out 14, his season ERA still staying below one at 0.93.&nbsp; At the plate, Pasquantino and Massey led the Royals, both going 2-4.

Kansas City and Minnesota continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Michael Wacha (3-4, 2.86 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against Zebby Matthews (0-1, 12.00 ERA) for the Twins.&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:10pm, pregame coverage will begin at 12:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).&nbsp;

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostSt. Joseph's Noah Cameron put on another solid starting performance in his third major league start, but Ty France hit a two run walk off home run off Lucas Erceg to give the Minnesota Twins a 3-1 win at Target Field in the series opener on Friday night.&nbsp;The Royals opened the scoring in the first giving Cameron the lead when Cavan Biggio doubled home Jonathan India who was hit by a pitch to open the inning.&nbsp; Cameron retired the Twins 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first, but in the second inning, Carlos Correa led off the inning tying up the game with a solo home run.&nbsp;After the home run, Cameron locked in, but so did Twins starter Pablo López as the score remained 1-1 until the ninth inning. Neither Cameron or López allowed a runner past second base while they were on the mound. López was pulled in the sixth inning with two outs after a Michael Massey single, while Cameron pitched into the seventh, also being pulled with two outs after walking Jonah Bride.John Schreiber replaced Cameron and pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings striking out two before being replaced by Erceg in the ninth.&nbsp; Erceg struck out Trevor Larnach to open the inning, before giving up a single to Correa and then the home run to France, dropping Erceg to 1-1 on the season.&nbsp;Cameron, in his no decision, pitched 6 2/3 innings giving up four hits and one run, striking out eight batters, a new career high, and walking one.&nbsp; On the season, Cameron has given up six hits, two runs, has walked six batters and struck out 14, his season ERA still staying below one at 0.93.&nbsp; At the plate, Pasquantino and Massey led the Royals, both going 2-4.Kansas City and Minnesota continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Michael Wacha (3-4, 2.86 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against Zebby Matthews (0-1, 12.00 ERA) for the Twins.&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:10pm, pregame coverage will begin at 12:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Another solid performance by Noah Cameron as Royals fall 3-1

The Kansas City Royals are cutting ties with struggling outfielder Hunter Renfroe ahead of their series against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in a crucial AL Central battle.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Renfroe was slashing .182/.241/.242 with zero home runs in 35 games this season. Renfroe’s playing time dwindled significantly with the lack of production; he wasn’t hitting the ball hard (88.5 mph average exit velocity), and he wasn’t getting on base (7.4% walk rate).&nbsp;&nbsp;Renfroe signed a two-year, $13 million contract with the Royals ahead of the 2024 season, with the second year being a player option that Renfroe triggered this past offseason. The club will owe him the full $7.5 million he was making this season.

In a corresponding move, Kansas City recalled infielder/outfielder Nick Loftin from Triple-A Omaha.&nbsp; Loftin is slashing .295/.451/.468 in Triple-A this year, with four homers, 12 doubles and more walks (39) than strikeouts (22).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744426314387.jpeg" alt="File photo" />
 <figcaption>File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe Kansas City Royals are cutting ties with struggling outfielder Hunter Renfroe ahead of their series against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in a crucial AL Central battle.&nbsp;&nbsp;Renfroe was slashing .182/.241/.242 with zero home runs in 35 games this season. Renfroe’s playing time dwindled significantly with the lack of production; he wasn’t hitting the ball hard (88.5 mph average exit velocity), and he wasn’t getting on base (7.4% walk rate).&nbsp;&nbsp;Renfroe signed a two-year, $13 million contract with the Royals ahead of the 2024 season, with the second year being a player option that Renfroe triggered this past offseason. The club will owe him the full $7.5 million he was making this season.In a corresponding move, Kansas City recalled infielder/outfielder Nick Loftin from Triple-A Omaha.&nbsp; Loftin is slashing .295/.451/.468 in Triple-A this year, with four homers, 12 doubles and more walks (39) than strikeouts (22).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Royals designate OF Hunter Renfroe for assignment; call Nick Loftin up

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/4G3ruqO7Ib9hYemYqUKvOV?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/7Jb21HJPRSv5G4iaQST1p7?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

Salvador Perez homered for the first time in more than a month, igniting the offense on way to an 8-4 series clinching win for the Kansas City Royals over the San Fransisco Giants.&nbsp;

For the Royals’ captain, it was an historic two-run blast that put him in fifth place all-time in homers (276) among catchers in the American League.&nbsp;&nbsp;The list of names ahead of him include Hall of Famers Carlton Fisk (376), Yogi Berra (358) and Ivan Rodriguez (281). Eight-time All-Star Lance Parrish (289) is also on the charts.

Kansas City started the scoring prior to Perez's home run, backing up their bullpen as the Royals used six pitchers to work through this game in place of the injured Cole Ragans.&nbsp; Vinnie Pasquantino singled home Maikel Garcia in the first inning for the first run of the game.&nbsp; In the second inning, Garcia singled home Michael Massey and Bobby Witt Jr drove in Kyle Isbel with a sacrifice fly.

Matt Chapman homered off of Jonathan Bowlan in the third inning to get San Fransisco on the scoreboard, but in the fourth inning Witt Jr doubled home Isbel for a run before Perez hit his home run to right center field, the first home run for the Royals catcher since April 13th.&nbsp;

The Giants did add another run in the bottom of the fourth, Patrick Bailey homering off of Steven Cruz, but Kansas CIty added their final two runs in the fifth inning as Massey singled home Drew Waters and a sacrifice fly from Garcia drove in Freddy Fermin.&nbsp;

San Fransisco brought across their final two runs in the ninth inning, on another home run, as Heliot Ramos hit a two run home run to left center field scoring himself and Lamonte Wade Jr.&nbsp;

Bowlan earned his first major league win, pitching 1 1/3 innings and giving up one run on two hits, striking out one.&nbsp; The Royals had 16 hits in the win, led by Perez (3-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI) and Massey (3-5, 1 RBI).&nbsp; Garcia, Witt Jr, and Waters each had two hits as well.&nbsp;

The Royals are off on Thursday.&nbsp; Kansas City goes to Minnesota on Friday for an AL Central matchup.&nbsp; St. Joseph's Noah Cameron (1-1, 0.71 ERA) makes his third major league start for the Royals against Pablo&nbsp;López (4-2, 2.40 ERA) for the Twins.&nbsp; First pitch is at 7:10pm, pregame coverage begins on Friday at 6:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostSalvador Perez homered for the first time in more than a month, igniting the offense on way to an 8-4 series clinching win for the Kansas City Royals over the San Fransisco Giants.&nbsp;For the Royals’ captain, it was an historic two-run blast that put him in fifth place all-time in homers (276) among catchers in the American League.&nbsp;&nbsp;The list of names ahead of him include Hall of Famers Carlton Fisk (376), Yogi Berra (358) and Ivan Rodriguez (281). Eight-time All-Star Lance Parrish (289) is also on the charts.Kansas City started the scoring prior to Perez's home run, backing up their bullpen as the Royals used six pitchers to work through this game in place of the injured Cole Ragans.&nbsp; Vinnie Pasquantino singled home Maikel Garcia in the first inning for the first run of the game.&nbsp; In the second inning, Garcia singled home Michael Massey and Bobby Witt Jr drove in Kyle Isbel with a sacrifice fly.Matt Chapman homered off of Jonathan Bowlan in the third inning to get San Fransisco on the scoreboard, but in the fourth inning Witt Jr doubled home Isbel for a run before Perez hit his home run to right center field, the first home run for the Royals catcher since April 13th.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The Captain goes oppo! 🫡 <a href="https://t.co/YwKzFgZrWu">pic.twitter.com/YwKzFgZrWu</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1925295238769484221?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Giants did add another run in the bottom of the fourth, Patrick Bailey homering off of Steven Cruz, but Kansas CIty added their final two runs in the fifth inning as Massey singled home Drew Waters and a sacrifice fly from Garcia drove in Freddy Fermin.&nbsp;San Fransisco brought across their final two runs in the ninth inning, on another home run, as Heliot Ramos hit a two run home run to left center field scoring himself and Lamonte Wade Jr.&nbsp;Bowlan earned his first major league win, pitching 1 1/3 innings and giving up one run on two hits, striking out one.&nbsp; The Royals had 16 hits in the win, led by Perez (3-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI) and Massey (3-5, 1 RBI).&nbsp; Garcia, Witt Jr, and Waters each had two hits as well.&nbsp;The Royals are off on Thursday.&nbsp; Kansas City goes to Minnesota on Friday for an AL Central matchup.&nbsp; St. Joseph's Noah Cameron (1-1, 0.71 ERA) makes his third major league start for the Royals against Pablo&nbsp;López (4-2, 2.40 ERA) for the Twins.&nbsp; First pitch is at 7:10pm, pregame coverage begins on Friday at 6:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

KC bullpen, Perez home run carries Royals to 8-4 win over Giants

The St. Louis Cardinals have been trending in the right direction as of late, but saw a minor setback against the top team from the American League Central, falling to the Detroit Tigers 5-1 in the series finale Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium, losing the series 2-1.&nbsp;

Detroit opened the scoring in the second after back to back singles by Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson, Colt Keith grounding into a sacrifice double play that allowed Greene to race home for a run.&nbsp; In the fourth inning, Torkelson doubled home Greene for another run, and Greene scored again in the sixth inning on a&nbsp;Dillon Dingler pushing the Tigers to a 3-0 lead.&nbsp;

St. Louis scored their lone run in the bottom half of the sixth, Willson Contreras singling home Victor Scott who singled to start the inning.&nbsp; In the eighth, Detroit added the final two runs, a Trey Sweeney sacrifice fly first scoring Torkelson before&nbsp;Javier Báez singled to drive in Keith.&nbsp;

Cardinals starter Andre Pallante took the loss, falling to 4-3 on the season, pitching 5 2/3 innings giving up three runs on four hits, striking out three and walking four.&nbsp; Alec Burleson led the Cardinals, who had just five hits, at the plate going 2-4.

St. Louis has an off day on Thursday and will welcome Arizona to town on Friday.&nbsp; Miles Mikolas (3-2, 3.77 ERA) is set to start for the Cardinals while the Diamondbacks starter is listed as TBD.&nbsp; First pitch is at 7:15pm, pregame coverage being joined at 7:05 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe St. Louis Cardinals have been trending in the right direction as of late, but saw a minor setback against the top team from the American League Central, falling to the Detroit Tigers 5-1 in the series finale Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium, losing the series 2-1.&nbsp;Detroit opened the scoring in the second after back to back singles by Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson, Colt Keith grounding into a sacrifice double play that allowed Greene to race home for a run.&nbsp; In the fourth inning, Torkelson doubled home Greene for another run, and Greene scored again in the sixth inning on a&nbsp;Dillon Dingler pushing the Tigers to a 3-0 lead.&nbsp;St. Louis scored their lone run in the bottom half of the sixth, Willson Contreras singling home Victor Scott who singled to start the inning.&nbsp; In the eighth, Detroit added the final two runs, a Trey Sweeney sacrifice fly first scoring Torkelson before&nbsp;Javier Báez singled to drive in Keith.&nbsp;Cardinals starter Andre Pallante took the loss, falling to 4-3 on the season, pitching 5 2/3 innings giving up three runs on four hits, striking out three and walking four.&nbsp; Alec Burleson led the Cardinals, who had just five hits, at the plate going 2-4.St. Louis has an off day on Thursday and will welcome Arizona to town on Friday.&nbsp; Miles Mikolas (3-2, 3.77 ERA) is set to start for the Cardinals while the Diamondbacks starter is listed as TBD.&nbsp; First pitch is at 7:15pm, pregame coverage being joined at 7:05 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Cards trending in right direction lately, but fall to Tigers 5-1 in finale

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/13D5D0xEd8fD3SUPtx5XqQ?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

Michael Lorenzen exited in the fifth inning after giving up three runs as the Kansas City Royals fell to the San Fransisco Giants 3-2 in the middle game of a three game series at&nbsp;Oracle Park.

It was Kansas City that had the lead in the game first however, scoring in the third inning.&nbsp; Drew Waters singled and moved all the way to third base, first on a throwing error by pitcher&nbsp;Hayden Birdsong and then a wild pitch, before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Kyle Isbel.&nbsp;

In the bottom of the fourth, after Lorenzen hit Heliot Ramos with a pitch, Willy Adames tripled driving in Ramos to tie the game, and then scored to give the Giants the lead on a single by&nbsp;Casey Schmitt.&nbsp; San Fransisco extended the lead in the fifth, just before Lorenzen was pulled, Jung Ho Lee singling home&nbsp;Mike Yastrzemski who singled to open the inning.&nbsp;

In the top of the eighth inning, Hunter Renfroe doubled, and was driven in on by Bobby Witt Jr with a single.&nbsp; Witt Jr was caught trying to steal second base and Vinnie Pasquantino struck out to end the inning.&nbsp; The Royals went 1-2-3 in the ninth against Giants closer&nbsp;Ryan Walker who earned his ninth save.&nbsp;

With the loss, Lorenzen fell to 3-5 on the season, pitching 4 and 2/3 innings, giving up all three runs, two earned, on seven hits, striking out five and walking one.&nbsp; Maikel Garcia led the way at the plate, going 2-4, as the Royals had seven hits in the game.&nbsp;

Kansas City and San Fransisco wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; With the injury to Cole Ragans, the Royals starter is currently listed as TBD, while the Giants will send&nbsp;Logan Webb (5-3, 2.42 ERA) to the mound for the finale.&nbsp; First pitch is at 2:45pm, pregame coverage will begin at 2 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostMichael Lorenzen exited in the fifth inning after giving up three runs as the Kansas City Royals fell to the San Fransisco Giants 3-2 in the middle game of a three game series at&nbsp;Oracle Park.It was Kansas City that had the lead in the game first however, scoring in the third inning.&nbsp; Drew Waters singled and moved all the way to third base, first on a throwing error by pitcher&nbsp;Hayden Birdsong and then a wild pitch, before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Kyle Isbel.&nbsp;In the bottom of the fourth, after Lorenzen hit Heliot Ramos with a pitch, Willy Adames tripled driving in Ramos to tie the game, and then scored to give the Giants the lead on a single by&nbsp;Casey Schmitt.&nbsp; San Fransisco extended the lead in the fifth, just before Lorenzen was pulled, Jung Ho Lee singling home&nbsp;Mike Yastrzemski who singled to open the inning.&nbsp;In the top of the eighth inning, Hunter Renfroe doubled, and was driven in on by Bobby Witt Jr with a single.&nbsp; Witt Jr was caught trying to steal second base and Vinnie Pasquantino struck out to end the inning.&nbsp; The Royals went 1-2-3 in the ninth against Giants closer&nbsp;Ryan Walker who earned his ninth save.&nbsp;With the loss, Lorenzen fell to 3-5 on the season, pitching 4 and 2/3 innings, giving up all three runs, two earned, on seven hits, striking out five and walking one.&nbsp; Maikel Garcia led the way at the plate, going 2-4, as the Royals had seven hits in the game.&nbsp;Kansas City and San Fransisco wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; With the injury to Cole Ragans, the Royals starter is currently listed as TBD, while the Giants will send&nbsp;Logan Webb (5-3, 2.42 ERA) to the mound for the finale.&nbsp; First pitch is at 2:45pm, pregame coverage will begin at 2 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Royals unable to comeback against Giants falling 3-2

The St. Louis Cardinals comeback fell short, but the Redbirds clawed back against Detroit's Tarik Skubal, rattling the defending AL Cy Young winner, but ultimately falling 5-4 to the Tigers in the middle game of a three game series at Busch Stadium.&nbsp;

St. Louis fell behind in the first inning quickly as Kerry Carpenter led off the game with a solo home run to right field for Detroit.&nbsp;&nbsp;Zach McKinstry doubled later in the inning and was singled home in the very next at bat by Riley Greene, putting the Tigers up 2-0 before the Cardinals even got the chance to bat.&nbsp;

Detroit extended their lead in the third inning, again thanks to Greene as the Tigers designated hitter powered a two run home run to right field, driving in Gleyber Torres.&nbsp; &nbsp;Through the first four innings, Skubal held the Cardinals to a single hit.&nbsp; It was the fifth inning where the Redbirds began their comeback.&nbsp;

Iván Herrera led off the inning with a single, and scored on a two run home run by Nolan Arenado to left field cutting the Tigers lead in half.&nbsp; In the sixth, St. Louis continued chipping away&nbsp;Herrera singling home Masyn Winn who opened the inning with a single, before the Cardinals tied up the game in the seventh inning, Victor Scott scoring on a sacrifice fly by Winn.&nbsp;

In the ninth inning though, Greene continued his night of terror against the Cardinals, driving in his fourth run of the game with a double, bringing home&nbsp;McKinstry for the go ahead run.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the inning,&nbsp;Tommy Kahnle retired the Cardinals batters 1-2-3 for his sixth save of the season.&nbsp;

Erick Fedded pitched five innings and gave up four runs on five hits, striking out two in the no decision.&nbsp; Kyle Leahy took the loss, falling to 1-1 on the season, giving up one run on two hits, striking out one in relief.&nbsp; Herrera (2-3, 1 RBI) and Arenado (2-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI) led the way hitting in the loss.&nbsp;

St. Louis and Detroit wrap up their series tomorrow, before an off day on Thursday for St. Louis.&nbsp; Andre Pallante (4-2, 4.11 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals in the finale against&nbsp;Brant Hurter (1-0, 2.35 ERA) for the Tigers.&nbsp; First pitch is at 12:15pm with pregame being joined at 12:05 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe St. Louis Cardinals comeback fell short, but the Redbirds clawed back against Detroit's Tarik Skubal, rattling the defending AL Cy Young winner, but ultimately falling 5-4 to the Tigers in the middle game of a three game series at Busch Stadium.&nbsp;St. Louis fell behind in the first inning quickly as Kerry Carpenter led off the game with a solo home run to right field for Detroit.&nbsp;&nbsp;Zach McKinstry doubled later in the inning and was singled home in the very next at bat by Riley Greene, putting the Tigers up 2-0 before the Cardinals even got the chance to bat.&nbsp;Detroit extended their lead in the third inning, again thanks to Greene as the Tigers designated hitter powered a two run home run to right field, driving in Gleyber Torres.&nbsp; &nbsp;Through the first four innings, Skubal held the Cardinals to a single hit.&nbsp; It was the fifth inning where the Redbirds began their comeback.&nbsp;Iván Herrera led off the inning with a single, and scored on a two run home run by Nolan Arenado to left field cutting the Tigers lead in half.&nbsp; In the sixth, St. Louis continued chipping away&nbsp;Herrera singling home Masyn Winn who opened the inning with a single, before the Cardinals tied up the game in the seventh inning, Victor Scott scoring on a sacrifice fly by Winn.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Arenado goes deep! 🚀 <a href="https://t.co/KnOgFxg6s4">pic.twitter.com/KnOgFxg6s4</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1924991612586791212?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Vic and Masyn bring in the tying run and this place is LOUD!! <a href="https://t.co/DWK0p2FvPq">pic.twitter.com/DWK0p2FvPq</a>&mdash; St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1925001934424990118?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In the ninth inning though, Greene continued his night of terror against the Cardinals, driving in his fourth run of the game with a double, bringing home&nbsp;McKinstry for the go ahead run.&nbsp; In the bottom half of the inning,&nbsp;Tommy Kahnle retired the Cardinals batters 1-2-3 for his sixth save of the season.&nbsp;Erick Fedded pitched five innings and gave up four runs on five hits, striking out two in the no decision.&nbsp; Kyle Leahy took the loss, falling to 1-1 on the season, giving up one run on two hits, striking out one in relief.&nbsp; Herrera (2-3, 1 RBI) and Arenado (2-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI) led the way hitting in the loss.&nbsp;St. Louis and Detroit wrap up their series tomorrow, before an off day on Thursday for St. Louis.&nbsp; Andre Pallante (4-2, 4.11 ERA) takes the mound for the Cardinals in the finale against&nbsp;Brant Hurter (1-0, 2.35 ERA) for the Tigers.&nbsp; First pitch is at 12:15pm with pregame being joined at 12:05 on KY 102 (102.5 FM).&nbsp;You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Cards rattle AL Cy Young winner Skubal, but fall to Tigers 5-4

 Gadi Kinda, a former Sporting Kansas City player, has died at the age of 31.

Kinda was a midfielder for Sporting KC in 2020, 2021 and 2023. He played in 64 matches in that span, scored 14 goals and had 12 assists.

Sporting Kansas City announced his passing on X Tuesday morning, and later put out a statement from the club.&nbsp;

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of former Sporting Kansas City midfielder Gadi Kinda. Our hearts are with Gadi’s family, his friends, teammates and all who knew him." the statement read.&nbsp;

Interim manager Kerry&nbsp;Zavagnin, who served as the assistant manager during Kinda's time with the team, says there's a lot of raw emotion with the club right now

"Obviously in the club right now and the way that the group is taking it, in such a difficult way, it goes to show what he meant to all of us. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family at this difficult time. He was such an electric figure in our club and he's going to be dearly missed."&nbsp;Zavagnin says.

Zavagnin says while it's difficult to process the news, it's another moment of compartmentalizing. 

"It hurts down to my heart knowing him as a person, which was a much better version than what he was as a player. And he was a pretty darn good player. So that part hurts, as much as you want to admit that we can't escape change and we can't escape what the ultimate is for all of us, it's difficult on a day like today." Zavagnin explains.

The cause of his death was not announced. According to <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-854737">The Jerusalem Post</a>, Kinda had been battling a serious medical condition for the past several weeks.

Kinda most recently played for Maccabi Haifa in the Europa League. He also represented the Israeli national football team

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747759127546.jpeg" alt="Gadi Kinda/ Photo courtesy of Sporting Kansas City on X" />
 <figcaption>Gadi Kinda/ Photo courtesy of Sporting Kansas City on X</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post Gadi Kinda, a former Sporting Kansas City player, has died at the age of 31.Kinda was a midfielder for Sporting KC in 2020, 2021 and 2023. He played in 64 matches in that span, scored 14 goals and had 12 assists.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I think this was the moment you knew <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SportingKC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SportingKC</a> had a pretty special player on their hands. <a href="https://t.co/VyfTLzwQ8Q">https://t.co/VyfTLzwQ8Q</a>&mdash; Daniel Sperry (@sperrydaniel94) <a href="https://twitter.com/sperrydaniel94/status/1924841976043602326?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Sporting Kansas City announced his passing on X Tuesday morning, and later put out a statement from the club.&nbsp;"We are deeply saddened by the passing of former Sporting Kansas City midfielder Gadi Kinda. Our hearts are with Gadi’s family, his friends, teammates and all who knew him." the statement read.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We are deeply saddened by the passing of former Sporting KC midfielder Gadi Kinda. Our hearts are with Gadi’s family, his friends, teammates and all who knew him. <a href="https://t.co/LYJaPXE1Ox">pic.twitter.com/LYJaPXE1Ox</a>&mdash; Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportingKC/status/1924852580837986798?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Interim manager Kerry&nbsp;Zavagnin, who served as the assistant manager during Kinda's time with the team, says there's a lot of raw emotion with the club right now"Obviously in the club right now and the way that the group is taking it, in such a difficult way, it goes to show what he meant to all of us. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family at this difficult time. He was such an electric figure in our club and he's going to be dearly missed."&nbsp;Zavagnin says.Zavagnin says while it's difficult to process the news, it's another moment of compartmentalizing. "It hurts down to my heart knowing him as a person, which was a much better version than what he was as a player. And he was a pretty darn good player. So that part hurts, as much as you want to admit that we can't escape change and we can't escape what the ultimate is for all of us, it's difficult on a day like today." Zavagnin explains.The cause of his death was not announced. According to <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-854737">The Jerusalem Post</a>, Kinda had been battling a serious medical condition for the past several weeks.Kinda most recently played for Maccabi Haifa in the Europa League. He also represented the Israeli national football teamYou can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Former Sporting KC player Gadi Kinda dies at 31 years old

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post<div><iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/3190tXeoogK00hmciUohop?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

&nbsp;Kris Bubic nearly pitched himself into the franchise record books before settling for another dazzling outing while leading Kansas City to a 3-1 win over the Giants on Monday.

Bubic took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, shook off a questionable ruling that broke up the bid then calmed back down to put the finishing touches on his fifth victory of the season, his most since he went 6-7 in 2021.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Royals though, as has been the case much of the season, were unable to support Bubic offensively for most of the game.&nbsp; That is until the eighth inning when Jonathan India doubled, and Vinnie Pasquantino blasted his team leading eighth home run to center field, scoring Cavan Biggio who pinch ran for India, and putting Kansas City up 2-0.&nbsp;

Before Pasquantino’s homer, a controversial ruling decision by the official scorer had the Oracle Park crowd buzzing.

Bubic faced two over the minimum through five innings, both runners reaching base by walk. With two outs in the sixth, Giants slugger Wilmer Flores rolled a grounder toward second base. Royals second baseman Michael Massey appeared to slip as he was trying to make a play and the ball deflected off his glove and rolled into the outfield for an error.

Official scorekeeper Michael Duca later reversed the call to a hit, ending Bubic’s bid to throw the fifth no-hitter in franchise history. Bret Saberhagen was the most recent Royals pitcher to do it, on Aug. 26, 1991.

San Francisco’s Casey Schmitt doubled off Bubic in the seventh, making the call moot.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Giants did cut the lead to one, Jung Ho Lee doubling home Sam Huff, but in the ninth the Royals added an insurance run on a Kyle Isbel single driving in Maikel Garcia who singled to open up the inning.&nbsp;&nbsp;Carlos Estévez came on in the bottom of the ninth, giving up a single to&nbsp;LaMonte Wade Jr., but closing out the game for his 14th save.&nbsp;

With the win Bubic improved to 5-2 throwing seven shutout innings, striking out five and walking three while giving up two hits, lowering his season ERA to 1.47, the fourth best in the MLB.&nbsp; His ERA in the month of May is 0.36.&nbsp; Pasquantino (2-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI), Garcia (2-4, 1 run), Mark Canha (2-3), and Isbel (2-4, 1 RBI) led the way hitting on the day.&nbsp;

Kansas City and San Fransisco continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Michael Lorenzen (3-4, 3.76 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against&nbsp;Hayden Birdsong (1-0, 2.31 ERA) for the Giants.&nbsp; First pitch is at 8:45pm with pregame coverage beginning at 8 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

By MATT PIKESt. Joseph Post&nbsp;Kris Bubic nearly pitched himself into the franchise record books before settling for another dazzling outing while leading Kansas City to a 3-1 win over the Giants on Monday.Bubic took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, shook off a questionable ruling that broke up the bid then calmed back down to put the finishing touches on his fifth victory of the season, his most since he went 6-7 in 2021.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Royals though, as has been the case much of the season, were unable to support Bubic offensively for most of the game.&nbsp; That is until the eighth inning when Jonathan India doubled, and Vinnie Pasquantino blasted his team leading eighth home run to center field, scoring Cavan Biggio who pinch ran for India, and putting Kansas City up 2-0.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Fire us up, Pasquatch! <a href="https://t.co/gHiMZGcuo6">pic.twitter.com/gHiMZGcuo6</a>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1924671444359020885?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Before Pasquantino’s homer, a controversial ruling decision by the official scorer had the Oracle Park crowd buzzing.Bubic faced two over the minimum through five innings, both runners reaching base by walk. With two outs in the sixth, Giants slugger Wilmer Flores rolled a grounder toward second base. Royals second baseman Michael Massey appeared to slip as he was trying to make a play and the ball deflected off his glove and rolled into the outfield for an error.Official scorekeeper Michael Duca later reversed the call to a hit, ending Bubic’s bid to throw the fifth no-hitter in franchise history. Bret Saberhagen was the most recent Royals pitcher to do it, on Aug. 26, 1991.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Error changed to hit in the bottom of the sixth inning for Kris Bubic in San Francisco. <a href="https://t.co/r7gtc9rALh">https://t.co/r7gtc9rALh</a> <a href="https://t.co/nLqFIAYM4f">pic.twitter.com/nLqFIAYM4f</a>&mdash; Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) <a href="https://twitter.com/anne__rogers/status/1924665936134504804?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>San Francisco’s Casey Schmitt doubled off Bubic in the seventh, making the call moot.In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Giants did cut the lead to one, Jung Ho Lee doubling home Sam Huff, but in the ninth the Royals added an insurance run on a Kyle Isbel single driving in Maikel Garcia who singled to open up the inning.&nbsp;&nbsp;Carlos Estévez came on in the bottom of the ninth, giving up a single to&nbsp;LaMonte Wade Jr., but closing out the game for his 14th save.&nbsp;With the win Bubic improved to 5-2 throwing seven shutout innings, striking out five and walking three while giving up two hits, lowering his season ERA to 1.47, the fourth best in the MLB.&nbsp; His ERA in the month of May is 0.36.&nbsp; Pasquantino (2-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI), Garcia (2-4, 1 run), Mark Canha (2-3), and Isbel (2-4, 1 RBI) led the way hitting on the day.&nbsp;Kansas City and San Fransisco continue their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Michael Lorenzen (3-4, 3.76 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against&nbsp;Hayden Birdsong (1-0, 2.31 ERA) for the Giants.&nbsp; First pitch is at 8:45pm with pregame coverage beginning at 8 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;