Royals avoid sweep with 2-1 win over red-hot Cardinals

Maikel Garcia delivered a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh inning, while Michael Wacha and four Kansas City relievers helped strand 13 St. Louis runners as the Royals avoided being swept by the visiting Cardinals with Sunday’s 2-1 victory.
Kansas City left seven men on against St. Louis starter Matthew Liberatore, who was brilliant in allowing one run, six hits and one walk over six innings. However, the Royals wasted no time getting to Cardinals reliever Chris Roycroft (1-3) in the seventh of a 1-1 contest.
Drew Waters led off with a pinch-hit triple into the right field corner on the first pitch. One pitch later, he came home when Garcia singled through the drawn-in St. Louis infield for Kansas City’s first lead of the three-game series.
Alec Burleson’s home run in the fourth inning was the only run Wacha gave up among eight hits. He struck out six and walked one over five frames.
John Schreiber, Daniel Lynch IV, Lucas Erceg (1-0) and Carlos Estevez (13th save) each allowed a hit apiece, but no further damage by the Cardinals, who went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position — and stranded the tying run at second in the ninth.
The victory snapped a four-game slide for the Royals, who had lost six of seven. They also momentarily cooled off the Cardinals, who had won three straight and 12 of 13.
After stranding five runners through the first three innings, the Cardinals opened the scoring with one swing in the fourth. With one out, Burleson lifted Wacha’s slider well over the center field wall.
Kansas City also left five men on through the first three innings, but snapped a 13-inning scoreless drought in the fourth to tie the contest. Hunter Renfroe doubled on a ball that was too hot for Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado to handle. Renfroe then went to third on Freddy Fermin’s fly ball to center and scored via Dairon Blanco’s double down the right field line for his first hit of the season.
Kansas City’s Jonathan India was scratched from Sunday’s lineup due to knee soreness.