KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Friday’s Game Report: Cardinals 8, Royals 5
Maybe it’s not how many hits a team gets with a runner in scoring position that matters; maybe it’s more important when those hits come.
For the Cardinals on Friday night, they had one hit with a runner on second or third in 12 at-bats, but that hit from Victor Scott II happened to be the most important one in deciding the game’s outcome.
With the Cardinals losing 5-4 to the Royals with two outs in the eighth inning and runners on first and third, Scott doubled to right to drive in both runs and turn that deficit into a 6-5 Cardinals lead.
Willson Contreras provided two insurance runs with his second two-run homer of the game in the ninth, securing the win in the opener of the quick two-game series in Kansas City.
Since Scott was recalled from Memphis following the injury to Michael Siani, he has four hits in 19 at-bats with a home run, the double and four RBIs. In 20 games in April before he was optioned to Memphis, Scott was 5-of-59 with two RBIs.
The win kept the Cardinals seven games behind the Brewers in the NL Central.
Here is how Friday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: Contreras hit his first home run, his 14th of the season, in the first inning and Alec Burleson hit his 20th of the year in the third to give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead … After Kansas City took a 5-3 lead, the Cardinals got one of those runs back in the sixth when Paul Goldschmidt walked, went to third on Nolan Gorman’s double and scored on a groundout by Tommy Pham … Brendan Donovan led off the eighth with a double, pinch-hitter Pedro Pages walked with one out and Pham grounded into a force out before Scott’s key double … Burleson led off the ninth with a single in front of the second homer from Conteras … Burleson, Contreras and Donovan all had three hits.
On the mound: Miles Mikolas failed to hold the 3-0 lead, giving up three runs in the third and two in the fourth, leaving with the Royals on top 5-3. He has won only one of his last eight starts dating back to June 22 … Matthew Liberatore kept the Cardinals in position for a comeback with three scoreless innings of relief, allowing only one baserunner, on a walk … Andrew Kittredge pitched around a single and walk in the eighth, and Ryan Helsley earned his 37th save, getting a game-ending double play after a one-out single and walk brought the tying run to the plate.
Key stat: The two home runs and four RBIs from Contreras matched his total from his previous 17 games, covering 63 at-bats, when he was 11-of-63, a .175 average.
Worth noting: The Cardinals have won 15 of their last 17 games in Kansas City dating back to 2016 … Prospect Thomas Saggese hit his 14th home run for Memphis on Friday night. Since July 1, Saggese has posted a .322 average with six homers and 17 RBIs in 30 games. It is likely that Saggese will be one of the players the Cardinals will be sending to the Arizona Fall League.
Looking ahead: Andre Pallante will get the start in Saturday night’s game in Kansas City.
