By MATT PIKE
In their first game without Bobby Witt Jr, whose recovering from a Grade 1 MCL sprain, Jac Caglianone hit a home run and drove in two as the Kansas City Royals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 at Kauffman Stadium to clinch the three-game series.0
In his return from the concussion list after being hit in the forehead by a line drive from Brandon Nimmo against the Texas Rangers, Seth Lugo pitched six innings allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits while walking three, earning the win and moving to 3-4 on the season. Alex Lange earned his fifth save, coming in to get the final out after Matt Strahm nearly let the lead slip away giving up three runs in the ninth inning.
The Cardinals scored a run in the first to open the scoring on a sacrifice fly by Jordan Walker, scoring Ivan Herrera, giving Walker his 58th RBI to push him into the MLB lead ahead of the Athletics Nick Kurtz. In the third inning Herrera drove in Nathan Church with a single to extend the lead putting St. Louis up 2-0 at the end of three innings.
The Royals seized the lead with four runs in the fourth inning. Lane Thomas led off with a double and scored on a single by Caglianone to cut the lead in half before Michael Massey's single drove home Caglianone to tie the game. After John Rave walked, Isaac Collins drove home Massey and Rave with a double to put Kansas City up 4-2.
Kansas City added a run in the fifth on Caglianone's 10th home run of the season, the first baseman homering in back-to-back games and then another extending the lead more in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly by Tyler Tolbert that scored Nick Loftin to put the Royals up 6-2 at the end of six innings.
The Cardinals got three in the ninth inning off Strahm, before Lange stranded the tying run to get the save. An RBI double from Masyn Winn drove in Lars Nootbaar to cut the lead to three runs before Winn scored and Nelson Velázquez came home as well on a single by Blaze Jordan off Lange, who came in after Strahm walked Velázquez. Pinch runner Bryan Torres was thrown out at second to end the game.
Michael McGreevy took the loss falling to 3-6 on the season allowing five runs on eight hits in five innings with two strikeouts and a walk. Walker was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Winn was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI also scoring a run for St. Louis
At the plate for the Royals, Caglianone was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI's. Collins was 2-for-4 as well with two doubles and two RBI's while Massey was 1-for-4 with an RBI.
Kansas City and St. Louis will take a rare Saturday off-day because of a World Cup match at neighboring Arrowhead Stadium between Ecuador and Curaçao, and conclude their series on Sunday.
Dustin May (5-6, 3.75 ERA, 75K's) will head to the mound for the Cardinals to face Stephen Kolek (4-1, 2.68 ERA, 34K's) for the Royals. First pitch is at 1:10pm, Royals pregame will begin at 12:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM). Cardinals coverage begins at 1pm on KY 102 (102.5 FM).
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.