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Fowler’s grand slam helps Cardinals complete sweep of Kansas City

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Dexter Fowler hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high five runs to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to an 8-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night.

St. Louis tied a season-high with its sixth straight win.

Kansas City has lost four in a row and six of seven.

St. Louis climbed within one game of the first-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.

Fowler broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning with his 15th homer of the season. He ripped the first pitch from Neftali Feliz 404 feet for his third career slam.

Lorenzo Cain had four hits for the Royals, who lost all four games in the four-game, home-and-home set.

Fowler also ripped a run-scoring double to trigger a three-run outburst in the sixth inning that helped erase a 3-0 deficit.

Trevor Rosenthal recorded four outs to pick up his 10th save in 12 opportunities.

Pinch-hitter Brandon Moss brought the Royals within 7-5 with a two-run, bases-loaded double in the eighth that came within a foot of clearing the wall. Whit Merrifield followed with a sacrifice fly. But Rosenthal got Cain to fly out with the tying run on third.

St. Louis has scored 54 runs during the six-game streak.

Tyler Lyons (1-0) picked up the win in relief of Lance Lynn, who gave up two earned runs in six innings.

Mike Minor (5-4) took the loss.

Melky Cabrera gave the Royals a 3-0 lead with a two-run triple in the fifth.

Kansas City starter Jason Hammel gave up two earned runs and three hits over five-plus innings. He has allowed three earned runs or less in each of his last seven starts.

GRAND SLAM UP

The Cardinals recorded grand slams in back-to-back games for the first time since Aug. 31-Sept. 1, 2011. Yadier Molina hit a slam in Wednesday’s 8-5 win.

Jake Westbrook and Albert Pujols did the trick in 2011.

LOST KITTY

The rally cat has apparently disappeared.

The feline ran onto the field in the sixth inning of the Cardinals’ 8-5 win over Kansas City on Wednesday night.

Molina hit a grand slam on the very next pitch after the delay.

The kitten was taken off the field by a member of the Cardinals grounds crew, who set the animal outside the stadium. The cat was picked up by a female fan, who intended to adopt it and take it home. But the cat jumped from her grasp a couple of blocks from the stadium and has not been seen since.

EXTRA TOUGH ESCOBAR

Kansas City INF Alcides Escobar made his 285th consecutive start on Thursday. It is the longest streak by a shortstop since Baltimore’s Cal Ripken Jr. started a record 2,216 consecutive games from 1982-1996.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: RHP Trevor Cahill was placed on the 10-day disabled list with right shoulder soreness. RHP Kevin McCarthy has been called up from Triple-A Omaha. McCarthy is 1-0 with a 2.14 ERA in 16 appearances over two stints with Kansas City this season.

UP NEXT

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (7-7, 3.48) will face RHP Reynaldo Lopez (0-0, 0.00) in the first of a three-game series against the White Sox on Friday in Chicago. Duffy is 0-2 with an 11.17 ERA in two starts against Chicago this season.

Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright (11-5, 5.00) takes on RHP Mike Foltynewicz (10-6, 3.94) in the opener of a three-game set against Atlanta in St. Louis on Friday.

— Associated Press —

Molina’s grand slam powers Cardinals past Royals

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Yadier Molina hit a grand slam one pitch after a cat ran onto the field in the sixth inning, helping the St. Louis Cardinals rally to beat the Kansas City Royals 8-5 on Wednesday night.

The Cardinals loaded the bases off Royals relievers Brandon Maurer and Peter Moylan. Molina was at the plate, with two outs, when the cat came onto the field and ran toward the center field wall.

On the next pitch, Molina drilled his 14th homer of the season into the left field seats for his fifth career slam.

Melky Cabrera hit his 15th home run, a two-run shot, that had given the Royals a 5-4 lead in the fifth.

Whit Merrifield had four hits for the Royals, who opened the game with four straight hits off Mike Leake and took a 2-0 lead on an RBI double from Lorenzo Cain and RBI single by Cabrera.

Merrifield made it 3-0 when he scored on Molina’s throwing error in the second.

The Cardinals scored twice in the second, on an RBI sacrifice bunt from Leake and an RBI single from Matt Carpenter, and then tied the game on Jedd Gyorko’s RBI single in the third.

Jose Martinez gave St. Louis a 4-3 lead in the fourth inning with his ninth homer.

Leake, the Cardinals’ starter, allowed five runs on 11 hits in five innings. Royals starter Trevor Cahill lasted just 2 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits and walking five.

Matt Bowman (3-4) earned the win. Maurer (1-5) took the loss.

Trevor Rosenthal closed out the ninth inning for his ninth save.

ROYALS’ TOP FIVE

The first five hitters in the Kansas City lineup combined for 13 hits: four from Merrifield, three from Cain and two each from Eric Hosmer, Cabrera and Mike Moustakas. Merrifield’s four hits tied his career high.

STREAK SNAPPED

Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar snapped an 0-for-20 streak with a single in the sixth inning. He added another single in his next at-bat.

FANCY FIELDING

The Royals escaped jams in the second and third with inning-ending plays from their middle infielders.

Escobar ranged to the other side of second base to nab Paul DeJong’s up-the-middle grounder, with two runners in scoring position, in the second inning.

In the third inning, with the bases loaded and just one out, Merrifield made a diving stop on a hard-hit grounder from Leake and flipped to Escobar for an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Jason Hammel (5-9, 4.73 ERA) is 4-6 with a 5.68 ERA in 12 career starts against St. Louis. He’s 4-4 with a 4.95 ERA in eight starts at Busch Stadium.

Cardinals: RHP Lance Lynn (10-6, 3.12 ERA) has a 1.21 ERA since July 8, the lowest among MLB pitchers during that span.

— Associated Press —

Royals get pounded by St. Louis again 10-3

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals scored so many times off Jason Vargas and the Kansas City bullpen in the fifth inning Tuesday night that they broke the Royals’ crown-shaped scoreboard.

Or maybe it was just a coincidence that the massive outfield video screen suddenly went dark.

Regardless, the malfunction saved Royals fans from having to watch the runs pile up. Yadier Molina, Jedd Gyorko and Randal Grichuk each went deep, and the Cardinals pounded out 14 hits in a 10-3 victory — the fourth straight for the suddenly serious NL Central contenders.

“You never know what the key is. If you did, you’d never put it away,” said Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, whose team began the night 3 1/2 games behind the division-leading Chicago Cubs.

Michael Wacha (9-4) allowed a three-run double to Cheslor Cuthbert but otherwise kept the Royals in check, surrendering six hits over six innings to win for the sixth time in seven decisions.

His life was made easier by the run support: St. Louis has scored 38 times in the last four games .

“The ball started falling. I don’t see it any different,” said Molina, who finished with three RBI. “We hit the ball hard and the ball wasn’t finding holes. Now it’s finding holes.”

Finding the way over the wall, too. Grichuk and Gyorko connected off Vargas (13-6) to highlight the six-run fifth , when the scoreboard at Kauffman Stadium suddenly went dark. It remained that way until the seventh, when about half of it blinked back online and the Cardinals were tacking on runs.

“It was one I felt like I let get away from the team right there in that fifth inning,” Vargas said. “Some weird things happened, but with Cheslor coming up big in the half inning before, there’s just got to be a stop put to that inning, regardless of what happens.”

Cuthbert’s knock down the left-field line staked Vargas to a 3-1 lead, but the left-hander responded with the kind of outing that’s become common since his All-Star appearance last month.

Grichuk homered to begin the fifth for St. Louis, and Vargas hit Matt Carpenter before allowing a single to Tommy Pham. Vargas also threw two wild pitches to put runners on second and third, then he walked Jose Martinez before giving up Molina’s go-ahead single.

Dexter Fowler doubled to right to chase Vargas from the game, but reliever Mike Minor was unable to stop the cascade of runs. Gyorko pounded his 2-2 pitch an estimated 420 feet over the left-field bullpen to give the Cardinals a 7-3 lead and close the book on Vargas’s latest miserable outing.

He was 12-3 with a 2.22 ERA at the end of June. He’s 1-4 with a 7.62 ERA in six starts since.

“He started out good,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “The fifth inning was just a strange inning.”

Vargas’s downturn has coincided with a slump by the Royals, who made a series of trades in late July with an eye on contending for the AL Central. Instead, they’ve dropped seven of the last nine to fall off the division-leading Cleveland Indians’ pace.

“Looking at the standings aren’t as big of a deal,” Vargas said. “The guys in here have been through way bigger lows and way higher highs than this. I don’t think anybody is too concerned.”

GORDON BENCHED

Three-time All-Star Alex Gordon was benched and LF Melky Cabrera started in his place as the Royals tried to find more offense. Gordon has struggled mightily in the second year of a $72 million, four-year contract, hitting just .197 with five homers and 34 RBI in 100 games.

ROSTER MOVES

The Royals reinstated Cuthbert (sprained left wrist) from the DL and optioned INF Ramon Torres to Triple-A Omaha. Cuthbert started at third base while All-Star Mike Moustakas was the DH, allowing him to rest a sore knee without taking his bat out of the lineup.

PHAM-ULOUS

Matheny spent pregame praising Pham, who was diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition called keratoconus in 2008. Pham underwent a breakthrough surgery that halted the erosion and has cycled through a variety of contact lenses looking for the right fit.

“We’ve seen flashes of brilliance over the last couple of seasons from Tommy. This is the season he’s been able to maintain,” Matheny said. “I think that has a lot to do with the physical issue.”

UP NEXT

The Cardinals send RHP Mike Leake to the mound and the Royals counter with RHP Trevor Cahill when the series shifts to St. Louis on Wednesday night. Cahill has struggled in his first two starts for the Royals since arriving in a trade with the San Diego Padres last month.

— Associated Press —

Royals get clobbered by Cardinals 11-3 in series opener

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Matt Carpenter hit a three-run homer in St. Louis’ six-run fourth inning, and the Cardinals beat the Kansas City Royals 11-3 on Monday night for their third consecutive victory.

Paul DeJong and Kolten Wong also connected for the Cardinals, who returned to .500 at 56-56. Carlos Martinez (8-9) pitched eight innings of two-run ball for just his second win in his last nine starts.

St. Louis also got some help from Kansas City during its outburst in the fourth. Ian Kennedy (4-8) walked No. 9 hitter Greg Garcia on five pitches with the bases loaded, and shortstop Alcides Escobar and catcher Drew Butera each committed an error.

Butera made an errant throw while trying to pick off Dexter Fowler at third, allowing the speedy center fielder to score.

Five pitches later Carpenter hit a drive to right with Wong and Garcia aboard. In 13 games at Kauffman Stadium, Carpenter is hitting .451 with four home runs and 14 RBI.

Wong added a two-run shot in the eighth, and DeJong belted his own two-run homer in the ninth.

Kennedy was charged with seven runs, six earned, and six hits in six innings. He is winless in 14 consecutive starts at Kauffman Stadium since beating the Minnesota Twins on Aug. 20, 2016.

Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer and Brandon Moss homered for Kansas City, which has dropped six of eight. Moustakas has 32 home runs, four shy of the Royals’ single-season record of 36 set by Steve Balboni in 1985.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Fowler, who missed a dozen games with a strained left forearm, was activated from the 10-day disabled list. He started the game hitting sixth for the first time in his career. He had batted no lower than third this season.

Royals: C Salvador Perez (right intercostal strain) said there is no timetable on when he could play again. “We’ll wait 10 days and see where we are,” Perez said. He said before going on the disabled list he felt a “little pinch” in his side. He received a cortisone ejection Sunday.

PISCOTTY OPTIONED

The Cardinals optioned struggling outfielder Stephen Piscotty to Triple-A Memphis. After hitting .305 as a rookie in 2015 and belting 22 home runs last season, Piscotty is batting .232 with six homers in 75 games this year.

“I still see some things that indicate that he’s getting close, so hopefully he’ll be able to get it put together quick and we’ll see him back here,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha is 5-1 with a 1.90 ERA in his past seven starts.

Royals: LHP Jason Vargas registered a 7.23 ERA in four July starts after having a 2.22 ERA on June 30.

— Associated Press —

Junis, Royals beat Mariners 9-1 for doubleheader split

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Rookie Jakob Junis would like to stay a little longer next time.

Junis pitched eight sharp innings and the Kansas City Royals beat the Seattle Mariners 9-1 to split their doubleheader Sunday.

Nelson Cruz homered twice and drove in four runs as the Mariners held off the Royals 8-7 in the first game.

Whit Merrifield homered in both games for the Royals.

Junis (4-2), who was added to Kansas City’s roster as the extra 26th man for the twinbill, retired his final 19 batters after giving up an RBI double to Danny Espinosa in the second inning.

Junis walked none and struck out a career-high seven.

“To go eight full innings and one run and have Cam (Gallagher) catch me in his debut is a pretty special day,” Junis said.

This was Junis’ sixth time up this season, twice as the 26th man, but after the outing he was sent back to Triple-A Omaha.

“I wanted to work harder to get back up here so I could get more experience,” Junis said. “I know experience is what is going help me become a better pitcher. I’ve done this (several times), coming up here and pitching and getting sent back down. I’m comfortable doing that as much as I’d rather stay up here.”

Melky Cabrera hit a three-run homer off Erasmo Ramirez (4-4) during a four-run third inning. It was Cabrera’s first home run since the Royals acquired him in a July 30 trade with the Chicago White Sox. Cabrera also had an RBI double.

Eric Hosmer homered and drove in three runs for the Royals. Seattle pitchers have allowed an AL-high 172 home runs.

“One inning was big damage,” Ramirez said. “One inning just changed everything. And, everything from now on is going to be about keeping the ball inside the ballpark because that’s the only way they’re getting the runs against me. Having the balls not going that far, everything is going to change. That’s what I have to work and execute better to pitch.”

Ramirez was charged with five runs on eight hits, including three homers, in five-plus innings.

“He had the two out, nobody on in the third inning and then home run, hit, hit, and then another home run,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “It’s a four spot. Made some mistakes with the fastball; didn’t get it in good spots, too much of the plate, probably his downfall.

Lorenzo Cain got six hits in the doubleheader, scored three runs, drove two and stole a base for the Royals.

Cruz, Danny Valencia and Kyle Seager homered in the first two innings as the Mariners took a 7-0 lead off Danny Duffy (7-7) in the opener.

Cruz, who leads the AL with 84 RBI, hit a three-run drive in a four-run second. He hit his 24th home run in the seventh off Scott Alexander, a shot estimated at 465 feet to center. It was Cruz’s 22nd multihomer game, his first this season.

Marco Gonzalez, who was making his Mariners’ debut since being acquired in a July 21 with St. Louis, failed to make it through the fifth. James Pazos (3-3) won in relief and Edwin Diaz posted his 23rd save in 27 opportunities.

Segura led off the game with a walk and scored on Valencia’s 13th home run. Seager homered with two outs in the first.

Merrifield hit a two-run homer in the third. Mike Moustakas hit his 31st homer, a two-run drive, in the eighth.

MARINERS GET ALONSO

The Athletics traded All-Star 1B Yoder Alonso to the Mariners for minor league OF Boog Powell. The left-handed hitting Alonso will be used primarily in a platoon with 1B Valencia. Alonso has 22 home runs and 49 RBI.

RARE RAINOUT

The doubleheader was caused by Saturday’s rainout, the first for the Mariners since April 30, 2014. They had played 572 consecutive scheduled games, which was the longest streak in the majors, before the washout.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners: RHP David Phelps left in seventh with elbow discomfort after throwing seven pitches. Servais said Phelps will return to Seattle for medical tests. He said he not sure whether Phelps will go on the DL until getting the rest results. … RHP Felix Hernandez, who went on the disabled list Saturday with biceps tendinitis, returned to Seattle and will be examined by team doctors Monday with a MRI scheduled.

Royals: C Salvador Perez went on the 10-day disabled list Sunday with a right intercostal strain. The club recalled C Cameron Gallagher from Triple-A Omaha, who made his big league debut. He got his first hit and scored in the second game.

UP NEXT

Mariners: Off Monday and will start LHP Ariel Miranda (7-5, 4.41) Tuesday at Oakland.

Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy (4-7, 4.60) will start the opener of a four-game series Monday against the Cardinals with the first two games in Kauffman Stadium. RHP Carlos Martinez (7-9, 3.59) will start for St. Louis.

— Associated Press —

Martinez’s first grand slam leads Cardinals over Reds

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CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cardinals want to look back on their big comeback as they day they finally put it all together.

Jose Martinez hit his first grand slam during a nine-run fourth inning, and St. Louis overcame Adam Wainwright’s rough return from the disabled list, beating the Cincinnati Reds 13-4 on Sunday.

The Cardinals took two of three in the series, moving them to 55-56. They’ve been stuck near the break-even point since the start of July, unable to get on a streak in large part because of poor clutch hitting.

Problem solved for one day. St. Louis matched its season highs with 16 hits and eight extra-base hits. Every starter except Wainwright had a hit, and seven players drove in a run.

“We’re hoping this is the day we can look back on and say hey, that’s when it started,” said Matt Carpenter, who had a two-run triple.

St. Louis sent 13 batters to the plate for nine runs in the fourth, matching its biggest inning of the season. Martinez connected off Homer Bailey (3-6), who gave up a career-high 10 runs in only 3 1/3 innings. Bailey has been hit hard in his return from surgery to remove bone spurs from his pitching elbow last February.

“It was a little bit of everything,” said Bailey, who allowed 10 hits and walked four. “It was one of those days where I just didn’t have it.”

The Cardinals went 9 for 19 with runners in scoring position, their best clutch hitting of the season. Martinez’s grand slam put them in control.

“We’ve needed that big hit, right?” manager Mike Matheny said. “You’ve heard me talk about that. That’s a good time to have one.”

The big offensive showing overcame a rugged first inning by Wainwright, who had spent the last 12 days on the DL with a stiff back. Joey Votto hit a three-run homer, and Wainwright threw 39 pitches before retiring a batter. Wainwright left after three innings and 88 pitches.

The right-hander was rusty after the layoff and developed a cut near the tip of the nail on his index finger, interfering with his grip on the fastball.

“I had no command of the fastball at all,” he said.

Brett Cecil (2-4) allowed three hits in three innings for the win, dropping the Reds to 6-17 since the All-Star break.

A DEFENSIVE SAVE

The Reds were up 3-0 in the first and had the bases loaded with none out when Carpenter fielded Jesse Winker’s grounder, stepped on first and threw home for a double play that helped Wainwright escape the inning.

BAILEY’S STRUGGLES

Bailey has given up 26 runs in 25 1/3 innings during his last five starts while going 1-4. Elbow and shoulder issues have limited him to 17 starts over the last three seasons. He’s gone 5-10 with a 7.71 ERA. Bailey is in the fourth year of a six-year, $105 million deal.

STATS

The Cardinals also scored nine runs in an inning at Wrigley Field on July 21. The last time the Reds gave up so many runs in an inning was July 25, 2015, when they allowed 10 at Coors Field. … Votto’s 250th career homer extended his hitting streak to 11 games. It was his 135th homer at Great American Ball Park, tying Jay Bruce for the most.

INCOGNITO

David Letterman sat inconspicuously behind home plate and tried to wave himself off the videoboard when he was shown after the eighth inning.

MAKE IT 8

RH Robert Stephenson went on the 10-day DL with a sore pitching shoulder, injured Wednesday when he made a dive for a popped-up bunt. He’s the eighth Reds starter to go on the DL this season. … SS Zack Cozart was activated after recovering from a strained thigh.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: LH Kevin Siegrist went on the 10-day DL with tendinitis in his left forearm. He last pitched on Thursday.

Reds: RH Scott Feldman was expected to start on Monday against the Padres, but has been pushed back a few days to give him more time to recover from a sore right knee.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Carlos Martinez (7-9) faces Jason Vargas (13-5) in the opener of a two-game series in Kansas City. The Royals then visit St. Louis for a pair of games. St. Louis is 3-8 in interleague play this season.

Reds: Tim Adleman (5-9) faces Jhoulys Chacin (11-7) in the opener of a four-game series against the Padres at Great American. Adleman hasn’t pitched since July 29. He’s 0-5 in his last six starts with a 7.34 ERA.

— Associated Press —

Royals lose to Seattle 5-2

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — James Paxton keeps helping the Seattle Mariners get back on track.

Paxton tied a Mariners’ record by winning his seventh straight start, and Seattle beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 Friday night to move back over .500.

Paxton (12-3) did not allow a hit until Mike Moustakas’ single with one out in the fifth, and Brandon Moss’ two-out single ended Paxton’s scoreless streak at 21 innings. Paxton gave up two runs and four hits in six innings with one walk, seven strikeouts and a pair of wild pitches.

He is 7-3 in a dozen starts after Mariners’ losses.

“That was huge for us to bounce back from that loss yesterday,” said Jarrod Dyson, who drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning.

Scott Bankhead won seven straight starts in 1989 and Jamie Moyer in 2003.

“They fouled off a lot more balls and scraped some hits together,” Paxton said. “I had a couple of wild pitches there that hurt us. That stuff happens.”

David Phelps, Nick Vincent and Edwin Diaz each followed with a perfect inning as Seattle improved to 13-8 since the All-Star break. Diaz got his 22nd save in 26 chances.

Jason Hammel (5-9) gave up three runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings. Kansas City fell 3 1/2 games back of AL Central-leading Cleveland.

“I’ve got to do a better job in the seventh of either making quality pitches or just doing a better job of putting up a goose egg there,” Hammel said. “It’s very frustrating.”

Danny Valencia drove in Jean Segura with sacrifice flies in the first and eighth innings.

Paxton’s wild pitch in the sixth scored Whit Merrifield and gave Kansas City a 2-1 lead. Merrifield doubled and advanced to third on Lorenzo Cain’s single.

“An outstanding come-from-behind win,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “Both starters were throwing the ball very well. I didn’t think there’d be a lot of runs scored, but we were able to put some pressure on them and mount an inning and put a crooked number up there, which was great. Paxton continues to really dominate when he’s out there. I thought the first time through the lineup he was right on everything.

Guillermo Heredia’s tying double chased Hamel in a three-run seventh, and Dyson and Leonys Martin hit RBI singles off Ryan Buchter.

CANO’S MILESTONE DOUBLE

Robinson Cano’s first-inning double was his 500th.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners: DH Nelson Cruz was a late scratch with neck and shoulder spasms. … INF/OF Shawn O’Malley was activated from the 60-day DL and optioned to Triple-A Tacoma. O’Malley had an appendectomy in March and an arthroscopic right shoulder procedure in May. He hit .311 with two home runs in 14 minor league rehab games. … The Mariners sent RHP Christian Bergman outright to Tacoma.

Royals: C Salvador Perez left after feeling discomfort in his side while swinging in the sixth inning and was replaced by Drew Butera. “He’s over getting a MRI, so we’ll know tomorrow,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “It’s the right side, but it’s a different spot, so it’s a little more concerning.”

UP NEXT

RHP Felix Hernandez (5-4), who is 2-4 with a 3.00 ERA in seven games at Kauffman Stadium, starts Saturday for Seattle and LHP Danny Duffy (7-6) for Kansas City. Duffy is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in seven games against the Mariners.

— Associated Press —

St. Louis comes up short at Cincinnati Friday

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CINCINNATI (AP) — Asher Wojciechowski frustrated St. Louis for five innings, and that was enough.

The right-hander gave one of his best performances in his return to the rotation, and Joey Votto drove home a pair of runs with a double and a single on Friday night, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-2 victory over the Cardinals.

The Reds have won all five games against St. Louis at Great American Ball Park this season. They lead 8-3 in their season series.

Wojciechowski (2-1) started after making six relief appearances in July, taking the place of the injured Scott Feldman. Wojciechowski allowed only three hits, including Mike Leake’s run-scoring infield single, and left after throwing 78 pitches.

“He’s a mature kid,” manager Bryan Price said of the rookie. “He’s not going to get his feelings hurt if he has to leave. It’s been a while since he went that long.”

Wojciechowski felt strong on a cool night but didn’t object to leaving after five innings.

“It feels great,” he said. “I was out there trying to do what I had been doing in the long relief role.”

Votto had a pair of RBI hits off Mike Leake (7-10), who fell to 0-5 in eight career starts against his former team. Billy Hamilton added a run-scoring single off Leake, who allowed eight hits in six innings.

“It’s part of the game,” Leake said. “Something’s telling me I’m not supposed to beat them yet.”

Votto played in his fifth All-Star game and then went into a 5-for-39 slump that dropped his average to .295. He has hit safely in his last nine games, the longest active streak on the team.

Michael Lorenzen gave up Carson Kelly’s RBI single in the eighth, and the Cardinals loaded the bases with two outs. Randal Grichuk took a called third strike to end the threat.

Raisel Iglesias gave up a single and a walk in the ninth before finishing his 19th save in 20 chances. Cincinnati is only 6-15 since the All-Star break.

The Cardinals are 1/3 on the start of a three-city trip to Milwaukee, Cincinnati and Kansas City. They’ve lost their last two games by a run, slipping to 17-22 in such close finishes. Only Philadelphia has lost more one-run games in the majors.

St. Louis stranded seven runners in the last three innings, setting up another close loss.

“We put together some good at-bats at times, but we just can’t get the big hit,” manager Mike Matheny said. “That’s how these games are decided. You need that big hit.”

BIG BOPPER

The Reds played a tribute on the videoboard and held a few moments of remembrance for Lee May, who died last weekend. May is in the team’s Hall of Fame.

KEEP GOING

Rookie Jesse Winker scored from first base on Votto’s double in the first inning, running through an emphatic stop sign by third base coach Billy Hatcher. The throw was up the line, allowing Winker to score.

NOT YET

Some of the Reds lost track of outs in the third and started off the field after a double play resulted in two gone.

Y’ER OUT

Tucker Barnhart was called out at the plate as he also tried to score from second base on Hamilton’s single in the fifth inning. The Reds challenged and umpire Brian Knight’s call was upheld on review.

STATS

St. Louis rookie Paul DeJong broke an 0-for-16 slump. … Greg Garcia had his first career triple and scored on Leake’s single. … The Reds haven’t allowed a homer in their last four games, their longest such streak since 2015. They lead the majors with 197 allowed, putting them on pace to break their record of 258 given up last season.

SWAP

The Reds acquired minor league outfielder Randy Ventura from the Braves in exchange for international bonus pool space.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: C Yadier Molina was out of the lineup a day after getting hit in the head by a bat and in the shoulder by a foul tip. Manager Mike Matheny said he was OK, just getting a day of rest. Molina pinch-hit in the ninth and grounded out.

Reds: RHP Anthony DeSclafani had an MRI that detected tendinitis in his pitching elbow, another setback in his long rehabilitation. DeSclafani developed a sore elbow during spring training and hasn’t pitched in a game.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Lance Lynn (9-6) has won his last three starts. He went 3-1 with a 1.47 ERA in six July starts. He’s 9-4 career against the Reds.

Reds: Luis Castillo (2-4) is 1/3 in his last four starts. The rookie hasn’t faced the Cardinals.

— Associated Press —

Moss hits two HRs to help Royals rally past Seattle

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Brandon Moss did not want to see the numbers next to his name, so he refused to peek.

Moss hit two home runs and Lorenzo Cain drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning as the Kansas City Royals beat the Seattle Mariners 6-4 on Thursday night.

The Royals rallied from deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 for their 32nd comeback victory. They snapped a three-game losing streak.

Moss homered in the fifth off Yovani Gallardo after Mike Moustakas had walked. That snapped a four-game homer-less skid for the Royals, which matched their longest drought of the season.

Moss also homered in eighth off Emilo Pagan for his 11th career multi-homer game. He is hitting .210 with 14 home runs and 28 RBI.

“A few weeks ago, I stopped looking up at the scoreboard every single time I went up there and worrying about what the numbers looked like,” Moss said. “They are what they are. It’s not the end of the season, so you can turn them around, but you’re not going to turn them around stressing about them.”

Moss is hitting .356 with four doubles, five home runs and 12 RBI in his past 12 home games.

“I love hitting at this ballpark and the numbers back that up,” Moss said.

Pagan (0-2) took the loss, giving up two runs, one unearned, in the seventh. Alcides Escobar led off the inning with a single and Alex Gordon moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt.

Whit Merrifield reached on a fielding error by first baseman Danny Valencia. Cain punched a single to right to score Escobar and Cabrera singled home Merrifield.

Ryan Buchter (1-0), the fourth of six Kansas City pitchers, threw one pitch to retire Kyle Seager to end the seventh and picked up the victory.

Kelvin Herrera worked the ninth to log his 24th save in 27 chances. He yielded a run on Robinson Cano’s two-out single.

Seager and Valencia hit solo home runs for the Mariners. Guillermo Heredia’s sixth-inning single scored Valencia, who led off the inning with a double.

“We really needed that big two-out hit earlier in the game to get you over the hump and stretch out the lead a little bit,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “We didn’t get that. We felt the momentum was still on our side, but look up at the scoreboard and it was still 2-0 and they could tie it with one swing of the bat.”

Trevor Cahill, who the Royals picked up in a July 24 deal with the San Diego Padres, allowed two runs and six hits over 4 2/3 innings in a no-decision.

“I actually felt a lot more comfortable than I thought,” Cahill said of his first Kauffman Stadium start as a Royal. “I’ve been pitching for a long time. I felt pretty normal. It seemed like a pretty exciting atmosphere, so it was all fun.”

Mariners starter Yovani Gallardo was removed after five-plus innings.

“I was getting early contact the first five innings except for that pitch to Moss,” Gallardo said. “Just a curveball was up in the zone and he just took advantage of it. I made a mistake up in the zone.”

DYSON RETURNS

Jarrod Dyson, who was the Royals’ 2006 50th-round draft pick and played a key role on their 2014-15 World Series teams, was back at Kauffman Stadium for the first time as a visitor. The Royals traded him to the Mariners in January. “It’s kind of weird being on the other side, in the visitor’s locker room, but coming back is home for me, you know,” Dyson said. “The only team I’ve ever been with. And I had some good memories here, some fun times.” Dyson tipped his batting helmet to a standing ovation before singling in the second inning.

YOST TOSSED AGAIN
Royals manager Ned Yost was ejected for the second straight game. Yost protested when a crew chief review failed to overturn Valencia’s fourth-inning home run and was run by plate umpire Larry Vanover. Yost was ejected in the ninth inning Wednesday in Baltimore. Yost has 42 career ejections, but this was the first time they were back-to-back.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners: OF Mitch Haniger remains on the disabled list with a concussion and facial lacerations after being hit by a pitch. “The swelling is almost all down,” Servais said. “He needs to get clearance from the doctor to start lifting and working out a little bit, which he’s hoping to get today or tomorrow.”

Royals: Cain was back in the lineup after not playing Wednesday because of a sore hamstring.

UP NEXT

Mariners: LHP James Paxton, who went 6-0 with a 1.37 ERA in July, will start the second game of this series.

Royals: RHP Jason Hammel will face Seattle for the first time since 2014.

— Associated Press —

St. Louis drops finale at Milwaukee 2-1

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MILWAUKEE (AP) — Keon Broxton did a little bit of everything for the Brewers on Thursday.

Broxton drove in the go-ahead run and saved a run with a leaping catch, Matt Garza made a strong start in his return from the disabled list, and Milwaukee beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1.

Broxton, who robbed Jose Martinez of a homer in the second when he stretched his glove atop the center field wall, gave Milwaukee a 2-1 lead with a single in the fifth off reliever Brett Cecil (1-4).

“It was awesome to be able to come out today and do something good for the team,” Broxton said. “I’m just trying to make plays. That’s my job. It’s huge for my confidence, it’s huge for the team’s confidence. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”

Garza (5-5), making his first start since July 21 because of a right leg strain, gave up one earned run on four hits in 5 2/3 innings to give second-place Milwaukee its first home series win over St. Louis since July 2012. The Brewers, trying to stay close to first-place Chicago in the NL Central, won for just the fifth time in their last 17 games.

Kolten Wong missed a tying home run by a few feet when his drive to right-center bounced off the wall in the eighth. He was stranded at second when Anthony Swarzak retired Tommy Pham on a groundout and Matt Carpenter on a flyout.

Corey Knebel worked the ninth and struck out Greg Garcia with runners on first and second to earn his 20th save in 25 opportunities.

Cardinals starter Michael Wacha allowed one run on five hits in four innings. With the game tied at 1 in the fifth and runners on first and third, manager Mike Matheny pulled Wacha for pinch-hitter Luke Voit, who hit into an inning-ending double play.

“We have to take a shot, especially when you can see we weren’t getting many opportunities up until that point,” Matheny said. “He was averaging 20 pitches per inning, so he was only going one more inning. We had guys like Cecil that needed to pitch.”

Wacha’s only blemish was Jesus Aguilar’s homer to left in the third. Aguilar’s drive was his 11th this season, and he homered in consecutive games for the first time in his career.

Cecil retired the first two batters in the fifth but then gave up three consecutive singles. Broxton’s hit drove in Travis Shaw, who went 2-for-4 after getting just two hits in his previous 19 at-bats.

Garza retired 12 of his first 13 batters to improve to 2-0 against St. Louis this season.

“I thought Matt was very efficient through four innings,” Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said.

OUCH

Domingo Santana inadvertently hit Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina in the back of the head with his bat on a strikeout in the seventh. Earlier in the game, a foul tip by Santana bounced off Molina’s chest and lower face mask, leaving him in pain.

BEEN AWHILE

Eric Thames batted leadoff for Milwaukee, the first time he’s occupied that spot in the lineup since he was with Toronto in 2011. He went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts as the Brewers’ seventh leadoff hitter this year.

“I thought about Thames a bunch in the leadoff spot,” Counsell said. “It just hadn’t happened yet.”

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Mike Leake (7-9, 3:29) opens up a three-game set Friday at Cincinnati. He is 0-4 against his former team.

Brewers: Milwaukee will call up RHP Brandon Woodruff from Triple-A Colorado Springs for Friday’s opener of a three-game series at Tampa Bay.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Carpenter returned to the lineup after he was scratched Wednesday with hip discomfort. He was 0 for 4.

Brewers: C Jett Bandy left the game late and X-rays revealed he has a fractured rib from getting hit by a pitch earlier this week. Counsell said he will go on the disabled list.

— Associated Press —

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