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Author: Dave Riggert

Royals blow 3-0 lead and drop opener at Detroit

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DETROIT (AP) — J.D. Martinez and Miguel Cabrera homered and Justin Verlander pitched seven strong innings as the Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 5-3 on Tuesday night.

Verlander (5-4) was down 3-0 before getting an out, but didn’t allow another run as the Tigers won their second straight after an eight-game losing streak. He gave up three runs, nine hits and a walk, striking out six.

Three relievers finished for the Tigers, with Justin Wilson pitching the ninth for his seventh save.

Matt Strahm (2-5) gave up five runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings for the Royals.

The Royals got off to a quick start against Verlander. Whit Merrifield started the game with a ground-rule double over the 420-foot sign in center and the next four batters singled to give Kansas City a three-run lead with no outs in the first.

Verlander, though, retired the next three batters to escape the inning without further damage. After the five hits to start the game, he got 21 outs while only allowing four singles.

Martinez led off the bottom of the second with his 12th homer, and Cabrera put the Tigers ahead 4-3 with a three-run, opposite-field homer in the third.

Peter Moylan replaced Strahm with runners on the corners and two outs in the fourth, but Ian Kinsler lined an RBI single up the middle to give the Tigers a 5-3 lead.

Tigers centerfielder Mikie Mahtook received a standing ovation and a hug from Verlander when he ran down Salvador Perez’s hit to the deepest part of the park, making a leaping catch against the wall in right-centerfield to end the fifth inning.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: RHP Danny Duffy (oblique strain) is expected to throw his second rehab start for Triple-A Omaha on Thursday. Duffy, who has been out since May 28, will be aiming for four innings and 60 pitches.

Tigers: DH Victor Martinez (irregular heartbeat) took batting practice before Tuesday’s game and is expected to be activated from the DL on Wednesday. Martinez spent two nights in a local hospital after leaving Detroit’s June 15 game with cold sweats, dizziness and a racing heartbeat. He underwent monitoring last week while the Tigers were on the road.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy (1-6, 4.95 ERA) will start the second game of the series on Wednesday. Kennedy has only beaten the Tigers once in seven career starts, and allowed five runs in three innings in a home loss to Detroit on May 31.

Tigers: RHP Daniel Norris (4-5, 4.66 ERA) pitches for Detroit on Wednesday, looking for his first career win against the Royals in his sixth start. He received a no-decision in Kansas City on May 29, giving up three runs in five innings.

— Associated Press —

Missouri Western’s Olion, Rathmann nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year

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ST. JOSEPH – Two Missouri Western student-athletes were among the 117 Division II nominees for the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year.

Kelsey Olion (volleyball) and Morgan Rathmann (softball) were Missouri Western’s nominees. A record 543 female athletes were nominated across all three divisions.

Olion, who recently graduated with a degree in biochemistry/molecular biology, was a four-time MIAA Academic Excellence Award recipient, maintaining a 4.0 cumulative GPA throughout her time at Missouri Western. On the court, Olion was named All-MIAA three times including a second team selection as a senior in 2016.

Rathmann will graduate with a degree in English education and was also a four-time MIAA Academic Excellence Award winner. Rathmann was also named second team CoSIDA Academic All-America following her senior season and was a four-time All-MIAA selection, including first team honors in 2016 and 2017.

The NCAA encourages member schools to honor their top graduating female student-athletes each year by submitting their names for consideration for the Woman of the Year award.

Next, conferences will select up to two conference nominees each from the pool of school nominees. The Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will then choose the top 30 honorees — 10 from each division.

From the top 30, the selection committee determines the top three honorees from each division and announces the nine finalists in September. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics then chooses the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year from those nine.

The top 30 honorees will be recognized and the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at the annual award ceremony Oct. 22 in Indianapolis.

— MWSU Athletics —

Mustangs rally for a 3-1 win at Chillicothe

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The St. Joseph Mustangs won their third straight game and they’ve now won nine of ten after a victory Monday night at Chillicothe 3-1.

St. Joe’s collegiate summer baseball team improves to 21-6 and 16-6 in the MINK League.

Chillicothe got a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the second inning by Christian Hoplock to take a 1-0 lead.

The score remained that way until the top of the eighth inning. With one out, Joshua Lincoln was hit by a pitch and then Brady Anderson singled to put two men on base. The Mustangs then got back-to-back triples from Colton Pogue and Drew Standifer to take their first lead of the game.

St. Joseph starter Josh Monson didn’t’ factor in the decision as he allowed one run on four hits in five innings of work. Jaren Kutzke, Nikko Pablo and Jake Purl threw four scoreless innings of relief as Purl earned his first save of the season.

Brady Anderson had two hits and a run scored for the Mustangs.  Lincon, Anderson and Colton Pogue each scored a run, while Pogue had two runs batted in.

St. Joseph is back on the road Tuesday as they play at Clarinda. the first pitch is at 7:00 p.m.

Grichuk, Gyorko homer, lead Cardinals over Reds

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Randal Grichuk looks good since his return from Triple-A. So does the St. Louis lineup.

Grichuk homered for the second straight game and the Cardinals broke out the bats again for an 8-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.

“I feel good with where I’m at mentally and I feel good with where I’m at mechanically with my swing,” Grichuk said.

“It’s one of those things, I think I’m more of a guy who kind of thrives off almost playing stupid — just going up there and seeing ball, hit ball and not overthinking my swing and my stance and how I feel and just letting the body take over.”

Grichuk, who was hitting .222 when he was demoted last month, is 4 for 10 with two homers, four RBI and three runs scored since his recall on Sunday. His two-run homer in the fourth inning was his sixth of the season.

The Cardinals avoided a three-game sweep with an 8-4 win over the Pirates on Sunday night. On Monday, a makeup from the April 29 contest that was postponed because of severe weather, they scored eight more runs on 13 hits.

Grichuk and Jedd Gyorko each had two hits, including a homer, and three RBI. Tommy Pham had two hits, walked twice, stole a base and scored three runs. Paul DeJong added three hits.

“They hit a lot of bad pitches and that’s what good teams do,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “I just said the same thing about the Nationals. It’s not a matter of having to consistently hit good pitches, it’s taking the mistakes that you get and not missing them and not taking and not fouling them back, not hooking them down the line just foul there and putting it on the barrel.”

St. Louis gave starter Michael Wacha (4-3) more than enough support.

Wacha, who began the day with an 8.17 ERA over his last seven starts, limited the Reds to one run on five hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked one.

“I thought he was great,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “He did a nice job establishing the bottom of the zone. I think we saw the kind of swing and misses that we were hoping for with the changeup. I do believe that curveball has become a much better pitch. He’s using it to steal strikes. He’s also using it to put guys away.”

Brandon Finnegan (1-1) was activated off the disabled list after missing more than two months because of a shoulder problem. The lefty exited in the fourth with a strained left triceps, an injury he said was different than his previous issue.

Finnegan gave up three runs in the first inning. He allowed three hits and four walks overall.

Pham, starting in the leadoff spot for the first time this season, manufactured the first run. He drew a walk, tagged up and took second base on a routine flyout to left-center field, stole third and scored on a passed ball when Stephen Piscotty walked.

“That was great,” Gyorko said. “I haven’t seen something quite like that in a while and it wasn’t on normal plays that you would see. Just great hustle plays and got us a run, got us on the board early and Michael took care of the rest.”

Adam Duvall had a pair of sacrifice flies for the Reds.

STREAKING

Gyorko’s shot extended the Cardinals’ streak to 15 consecutive games with a home run. . The Reds have allowed a home run in 19 straight games, a franchise record. . Yadier Molina’s third-inning single extended his hitting string to 12 games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: The Reds activated Finnegan off the DL and optioned RHP Lisalverto Bonilla to Triple-A Louisville. . RHP Bronson Arroyo (right shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.

Cardinals: 2B Kolten Wong (right triceps strain) could begin a rehab assignment this week.

UP NEXT

Reds: RHP Tim Adleman (4-4, 4.30) will open a three-game home series against Milwaukee on Tuesday night. He is 2-2 with a 2.68 ERA in his last six starts.

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (6-6, 2.87) will open a three-game series at Arizona on Tuesday night. He is 2-5 with a 4.29 ERA in seven road starts this season.

— Associated Press —

St. Joseph rolls past Jefferson City Sunday 12-4

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The St. Joseph Mustangs won their second straight game Sunday as they went to Jefferson City and defeated the Renegades 12-4.

St. Joe’s collegiate summer baseball team is 3-0 against Jefferson City this season and they’ve now won eight of their last nine games.

The Mustangs are 20-6 on the season and 15-6 in the MINK League, and they now have a 2.5 game lead on Sedalia in the North Division.

St. Joseph continues its four-game road trip Monday as they play at Chillicothe. The first pitch is at 7:00 p.m. and it’ll be broadcast on 680 KFEQ.

Kansas City drops series finale to Blue Jays 8-2

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Back on the mound, Roberto Osuna settled into his comfort zone.

The Toronto closer struck out three in a scoreless ninth inning a day after saying he was dealing with anxiety issues, and the Blue Jays avoided a sweep by beating the Kansas City Royals 8-2 Sunday.

“I felt really good and I felt better than yesterday and the day before,” Osuna said through a translator. “I’m just ready to work on that and get over it.”

Jose Bautista homered and drove in a season-high four runs and Francisco Liriano earned his 100th career victory.

Osuna didn’t pitch in a save situation on Friday night, and the Blue Jays’ bullpen let a game get away. On Saturday, the 22-year-old reliever said he was out of sorts mentally and feeling lost.

Osuna has received an outpouring of support on social media.

“I didn’t read everything, but I hear about it,” he said. “I really appreciate the support of the people, but I have other stuff to think about right now. I just thank the fans for that, but I’m just trying to work on that by myself.”

“I’m just trying to do my best when I go out there and I’m trying to follow directions, whatever the doctors and trainers here tell me to do. I just follow directions and hopefully it’s going to get better,” he said.

Osuna, who has 19 saves, returned to the mound in a non-save spot and gave up an infield single while getting the last three outs.

“If there comes a time or day he doesn’t feel he could, he would let us know,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “But that’s personal stuff. You guys need to stay out of that.”

Bautista hit a two-run, 450-foot homer in the fifth that tied it. He walked with the bases loaded in a five-run sixth and singled home Kevin Pillar, who had three hits, in the seventh.

Bautista did a little celebration dance with Osuna after the final out.

“Hopefully he can continue to come out there when we need him,” Bautista said. “It’s encouraging to see him just go out and pitch well.”

Liriano (4-3) allowed two runs on six hits while pitching into the seventh. He improved to 100-95 in 12 seasons with Toronto, Minnesota, the White Sox and Pittsburgh.

The Blue Jays scored five runs off relievers Scott Alexander (0-2) and Peter Moylan, who combined to face six batters and retire none. Josh Donaldson’s two-run double was the key hit in the sixth.

Royals starter Jason Hammel left after five innings and 105 pitches. He gave up five hits and struck out six.

Jorge Bonifacio homered in the first for the Royals. He doubled in the fourth and scored on Eric Hosmer’s single.

“You win the first two games, you’re obviously disappointed you don’t sweep,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “The fact we won the series is a little bit of a consolation.”

MOYLAN EJECTED

After Moylan was pulled in the sixth, he had a few choice words on the way to the dugout for plate umpire John Tumpane and was ejected. Moylan had issues with Tumpane’s strike zone.

“I don’t know whether you noticed my reaction, but I felt a couple of them could have been called strikes in that situation,” Moylan said when he walked Bautista. “A 2-2 count as opposed to a 3-1 count changes the whole at-bat and the whole game really.”

NOT GOOD IN DIVISION

The Royals will play their next seven games against AL Central opponents Detroit and Minnesota. Kansas City is 9-18 within the division. The Royals are 12-7 against AL East clubs, 11-10 against AL West and 5-2 against the National League.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (right oblique strain) made his first minor league rehab start Saturday for Triple-A Omaha. He allowed two runs on three hits, including a home run, struck out three and walked one. “He felt good. His stuff was good,” Yost said. Duffy threw 48 pitches. His next scheduled start will be Thursday at Colorado Springs.

UP NEXT

Blue Jays: After an off-day Monday, RHP Kevin Gausman (3-7, 6.47) will start Tuesday against visiting Baltimore.

Royals: LHP Matt Strahm (2-4, 4.80) will start Tuesday at Detroit.

— Associated Press —

Grichuk homers in return, helps Cardinals top Pirates

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Randal Grichuk homered in his return to the majors, Yadier Molina had three hits and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-4 on Sunday night.

Grichuk, who was sent to the minors on May 29 after struggling with consistency, had two hits — including his solo homer in the sixth inning — and scored twice. Molina, who had missed the previous two games after being hit by a foul tip on the knee, had three hits, scored three runs and drove in a run.

The Cardinals, who had lost three straight, scored four runs in the seventh to break open a tie game. Molina’s RBI single off Juan Nicasio (1-4) made it 5-4 and rookie Paul DeJong’s two-run single gave St. Louis an 8-4 lead.

Trevor Rosenthal (2-3) struck out the only batter he faced in the seventh to earn the win in relief for the Cardinals. Starter Mike Leake went six innings and allowed four runs — three earned — and six hits in six innings.

St. Louis took a 2-0 lead in the second on Greg Garcia’s two-run single, but the Pirates went up 3-2 in the third on Adam Frazier’s two-run triple and Josh Harrison’s sacrifice fly.

Pittsburgh added another run in the fourth on Elias Diaz’s sacrifice fly that scored Andrew McCutchen.

The Cardinals tied the game in the sixth on Grichuk’s homer off Pirates starter Chad Kuhl and Jedd Gyorko’s pinch-hit ground-rule RBI double. Grichuk’s 478-foot homer was the longest by a Cardinals player in the new Busch Stadium and the second-longest in stadium history. Milwaukee’s Keon Broxton crushed a 489-foot shot on June 15.

Kuhl gave up four runs and eight hits in five innings. He struck out six and walked one.

ROSTER SHUFFLE

The Cardinals placed OF Dexter Fowler (right heel spur) and LHP Kevin Siegrist (cervical spine sprain) on the disabled list and optioned OF Chad Huffman to Triple-A Memphis before the game. St. Louis recalled Grichuk and RHP Mike Mayers and purchased the contract of 1B Luke Voit from Triple-A.

MAJOR LEAGUE DEBUT

Voit, who grew up in the St. Louis suburb of Wildwood, Missouri, pinch hit for the Cardinals in the seventh inning for his first major league plate appearance. He was hit in the back by a 96 mph fastball from Jhan Marinez.

Voit is from the same high school — Lafayette — as former National League MVP Ryan Howard and former World Series MVP David Freese. Freese, who was playing third base for the Pirates on Sunday night, sent Voit a congratulatory note before the game.

UP NEXT

Pirates: After an off day Monday, RHP Trevor Williams (3-3, 5.09) will make his 10th start of the season on Tuesday night against visiting Tampa Bay.

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (3-3, 4.76) will face the Reds in a makeup game against visiting Cincinnati on Monday afternoon. He is 7-1 with a 2.95 ERA in 13 career starts (15 appearances) against Cincinnati.

— Associated Press —

Mustangs overcome 4-0 deficit to defeat Clarinda

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The St. Joseph Mustangs got back in the win column Saturday night as they defeated Clardina 9-7 inside Phil Welch Stadium.

St. Joe’s collegiate summer baseball team had its six-game win streak snapped Friday by Sedalia, but with the win Saturday they improve to 19-6 this season and 14-6 in the MINK League.

The Mustangs had to rally Saturday as they fell behind 4-0 in the top of the third inning. St. Joseph answered back with nine unanswered runs as they scored three in the bottom of the third, two in the fifth inning and four runs in the sixth.

Brady Anderson had two doubles and three RBI to lead the Mustangs’ offense, while Matt Wollnik added two hits. Brody Santilli scored three times as well.

Michael Lydon-Lorson grinded through six innings to improve to 3-0 on the mound. He gave up four earned runs and seven hits, but struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.

The Mutangs are on the road Sunday as they play at Jefferson City. The first pitch is at 7:00 p.m. from Vivian Field.

Vargas earns 11th win as Royals top Blue Jays 3-2

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jason Vargas missed most of last season after having elbow surgery in 2015. This year he is a candidate to be the AL All-Star Game starter.

Vargas earned his major league-leading 11th victory, pitching seven efficient innings to lead the surging Kansas City Royals over the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 Saturday.

The Royals won for the 11th time in 13 games and moved over .500 for the first time this season at 37-36.

“The pitching has been great, and we’ve got some timely hitting,” said Eric Hosmer, who homered in the fourth. “We’re definitely in synch as a team right now.”

Vargas (11-3) allowed two runs on eight hits, walked none and struck out two. Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was set to try for his 11th win later Saturday against Colorado.

“It was a great day because we came out with a `W,” Vargas said. “I felt like in those middle innings we got into a nice rhythm and had some nice plays made for us and got us out of a couple of innings.”

Troy Tulowitzki and Kevin Pillar homered off Vargas.

“I know Jason really well,” Tulowitzki said. “I went to college with him. It’s funny because he used to be a power guy, throw real hard. Now he’s finesse. But he knows how to pitch, bottom line. He gets himself better each and every year. Other than today, I’ve been happy for him, honestly, just because he’s a good friend and someone that really loves the game.”

Pillar’s home run tied the game at 2.

“The fellows came back and picked me up after I gave up that home run in the seventh,” Vargas said.

Alcides Escobar had three hits and scored twice, including the go-ahead run in the seventh. He singled with one out and scored on Alex Gordon’s triple down the right-field line off Marco Estrada (4-6).

After Joakim Soria struck out two in the eighth, Kelvin Herrera pitched the ninth for his 18th save in 20 chances.

Escobar tripled in the third when Blue Jays outfielders Jose Bautista and Pillar collided in right-center chasing the flyball. Escobar scored on Whit Merrifield’s sacrifice fly, which was not deep. He slid in ahead of left-fielder Steve Pearce’s throw.

“In that situation that’s a short fly ball to left field,” Escobar said. “Rusty (Kuntz, Royals base running coach) knows every outfielder and (said) if the ball is hit to left field, run. This guy is like a regular arm. He doesn’t throw too hard.”

The Blue Jays challenged the safe call at home, but it was upheld.

“I got my foot down before the tag,” Escobar said.

Estrada gave up three runs and five hits in seven innings. He struck out six and walked four. He lost his fourth straight start but had failed to make it out of the fourth innings in two of those.

“I’ve had really rough outings lately,” Estrada said. “Sometimes it’s hard to get out of that. Put things in your head that you’re not supposed to. Today, I just let it all go, you know. `You’re better than this’ and make pitches and stop worrying about everything. Things went a lot better. It’s still frustrating, some of those hits they got.”

WALKING MAN

Royals rookie Jorge Bonifacio walked in his first three plate appearances.

GOOD JUNE

The Royals clinched their fifth straight series win. They are 6-0-1 in the past seven series. They are an American League best 15-6 in June.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: RHP Aaron Sanchez (broken nail on middle finger) will throw a minor league rehab game Tuesday for Class A Dunedin. … Pearce returned to the lineup after missing two games with a bruised right knee. He went hitless in three at-bats, snapping his season-high eight-game hitting streak.

UP NEXT

Blue Jays: RHP Francisco Liriano, who is 3-3 with a 5.76 ERA, will make his 12th start.

Royals: RHP Jason Hammel, who is 3-1 with a 3.35 ERA since May 20, will start the series finale.

— Associated Press —

Cardinals lose second straight to Pittsburgh

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — When it comes to taking one for the team, the Pirates can count on Josh Harrison.

Harrison was hit by a pitch to drive in a run. He also homered and scored a run after hitting a double in a 7-3 Pittsburgh victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night.

Jordy Mercer also homered and starter Gerrit Cole pitched six innings for Pittsburgh.

After getting hit by a pitch in the sixth, Harrison has been hit by a pitch five times in his last six games. He leads all major league players with 16 hit by pitches this season.

Getting hit by a pitch is part of the job, Harrison said.

“There’s only been a few this year that haven’t hurt,” said Harrison, who has reached base safely in his last 20 road games. “What I like to say `It would probably kill common man.”

Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle likes what Harrison does for the Pirates.

“He creates a wake, a positive wake out there,” Hurdle said. “He’s swinging the bat well. He’s playing good defense. All the things combined, he’s playing really good baseball. He’s a fun player to watch.”

Cole (6-6) extended his winning streak to three games, allowing five hits and one run with five strikeouts and two walks.

In Cole’s four losing starts from May 22 through June 8, he surrendered 23 runs in 19 1/3 innings. Since then, he has reeled off three solid starts. Before Saturday, he allowed just three hits and one run in seven innings in each of his previous two starts.

“I just keep doing my job,” Cole said. “You’re going to make good pitches. You’re going to make bad pitches. You’re going to get hit and you’re going to get away with some. There’s always another pitch and another day.”

Pittsburgh has won four of its last six games.

Slumping St. Louis has dropped eight of its last 11. The 33-40 start for the Cardinals is their worst since 2007.

Lance Lynn (5-5) struggled for the second consecutive start. He gave up seven runs and six hits, including three homers in 5 2/3 innings. In his previous start at Baltimore, Lynn gave up nine hits, seven runs and a season-high four home runs in 4 2/3 innings.

In his first season back after Tommy John surgery, Lynn has given up 20 home runs.

“I know if you look at it from the last two starts, that’s two in a row that you’d like back,” Lynn said. “But I got to make sure I end it at that. You’re going to go through a rut or something like that and you don’t want to do that in the season and right now I’m in that.”

Before Saturday, Lynn had not allowed a run in his past 12 innings against the Pirates. He fired seven scoreless innings in a 2-1 win against Pittsburgh on April 17 at Busch Stadium.

“He made some mistakes and we got him,” Hurdle said about Lynn. “Good for us. He’s been tough on us here.”

Pittsburgh scored in the first on a two-out RBI single by Josh Bell that scored Harrison.

St. Louis quickly tied it at 1-all on Matt Carpenter’s first leadoff homer of the season. It was Carpenter’s 13th leadoff home run of his career.

The homer marked a season-high 13 straight games in which the Cardinals have hit a home run.

The Pirates regained the lead at 3-1 on a two-run, two-out homer by Mercer. Andrew McCutchen singled before Mercer lined a fastball over the wall just inside the left field foul pole.

“He’s steady Eddie,” Hurdle said about Mercer. “He’s raised his average 80 points and now he has seven homers and 28 RBI, which is impressive from where he was from a month ago.”

A two-out solo homer by Harrison in the fifth put Pittsburgh up 4-1.

“I think today was the case of a couple of sliders that got up on him,” manager Mike Matheny said. “I actually thought he was throwing the ball well. Just a couple of mistakes that really cost him.”

The Pirates sent nine batters to the plate in the sixth and scored three runs on just one hit to chase Lynn. David Freese led off with a walk and went to third on a single by McCutchen before scoring on Mercer’s groundout. After intentionally walking Chris Stewart, Lynn walked Cole.

Rookie John Brebbia relieved and promptly hit Adam Frazier and Harrison to give Pittsburgh a 7-1 lead.

The Cardinals added two runs in the ninth off reliever Wade LeBlanc.

SATURDAY IN THE PARK

With the victory, Pittsburgh improved to 10-2 in games played on Saturday this season.

BLACK AND BLUE

Since the start of the 2013 season, Pittsburgh batters have been hit a major league-leading 374 times.

“I don’t try to make anything more of than people maybe just trying to pitch inside,” Hurdle said.

TRAINING ROOM

Pirates: RHP Josh Lindblom (left side discomfort) was activated Saturday from the DL. He remains at Triple-A Indianapolis where he had been rehabbing.

Cardinals: C Yadier Molina missed his second consecutive game. He took a foul tip off his knee on Thursday in Philadelphia.

UP NEXT

Pirates: RHP Chad Kuhl (2-6, 5.46 ERA) has not pitched more than five innings since tossing six April 8 against St. Louis, losing a 2-1 decision. Kuhl won his last outing Tuesday, a 7-3 win over Milwaukee to snap a six-game losing streak.

Cardinals: RHP Mike Leake (5-6, 3.03 ERA) has 10 wins against the Pirates, the most he has against any opponent. Leake has not won since May 24 when he pitched eight innings against Los Angeles in a 6-1 win.

— Associated Press —

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