Daily Rant: Cardinals complete sweep of Kansas City Royals

The Cardinals entered Kauffman Stadium with the sour taste of a 1-2 series loss against the Royals at home. With returning players in Jon Jay and Matt Carpenter, the Cardinals offense came alive for the three game road set as they outscored the Royals 30-14.

Box Score

Final		1		2		3		4		5		6		7	8	9	R	H	E

	St. Louis	3	2	0	0	0	1	1	4	0	11	8	1

	Kansas City	2	0	0	3	0	1	0	0	2	8	14	1


WP: V. Marte (1-1) LP: T. Collins (4-2)

	AB	R	H	RBI	HR	BB	K	SB	LOB	Season Avg
R. Furcal ss	4	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	2	.289
A. Craig rf	4	2	2	2	0	1	1	0	0	.320
J. Jay pr-cf	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.339
M. Holliday lf	2	2	1	2	0	2	0	1	0	.299
C. Beltran dh	5	1	1	3	1	0	0	0	3	.308
D. Freese 3b	4	0	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	.279
Y. Molina c	4	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	1	.318
M. Carpenter 1b	5	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	.288
S. Robinson cf-rf	2	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	.250
D. Descalso 2b	3	1	1	1	0	1	1	0	1	.247
Totals	33	11	8	10	2	9	3	1	10

	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR	WHIP	Season ERA
L. Lynn	5.1	9	6	6	1	2	3	1.20	3.23
V. Marte (W, 1-1; BS, 1)	0.2	1	0	0	0	0	0	1.36	3.62
M. Rzepczynski (H, 9)	0.2	1	0	0	0	0	0	1.46	5.33
E. Sanchez (H, 4)	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.29	4.50
M. Boggs	1.0	2	0	0	0	2	0	1.05	2.16
S. Freeman	1.0	1	2	2	1	2	1	1.50	6.75

The Positives

Allen Craig had two hits including his tenth double of the season. He also scored two runs and drove in two.
Matt Holliday hit his sixteenth double, which drove in two runs. He also scored two.
Carlos Beltran hit his twentieth home run of the season and drove in three runs.
David Freese, Matt Carpenter, and Daniel Descalso hit singles. Freese and Descaslo each drove in a run, while Descalso also scored a run. Carpenter scored a run as well.
Yadier Molina hit his tenth home run of the season.
Victor Marte, Marc Rzepczynski, Edwardo Sanchez and Mitchell Boggs combined for two and two thirds innings of scoreless baseball.

Justin’s Jeers

Lance Lynn lasted five and a third innings but gave up six earned runs to ten base runners. He was tortured by the long ball, as he gave up three home runs.
Sam Freeman pitched the final innings and gave up two earned runs thanks to a home run.

Three Stars

3) Matt Holliday – Holliday’s two RBI night helped propel the Cardinals.

2) Allen Craig – Craig also had two RBIs and, like Holliday, he scored two runs.

1) Carlos Beltran – Beltran hit a three-run shot that was his twentieth home run of the season.

Standings

Central	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	RS	RA	Diff	Streak	L10
Cincinnati Reds	39	32	.549	—	21-15	18-17	310	275	+35	Lost 1	5-5
Pittsburgh Pirates	38	33	.535	1.0	23-13	15-20	249	254	–5	Lost 1	6-4
St. Louis Cardinals	38	35	.521	2.0	17-16	21-19	366	299	+67	Won 3	6-4
Milwaukee Brewers	33	39	.458	6.5	18-18	15-21	317	332	–15	Lost 2	5-5
Houston Astros	30	42	.417	9.5	21-17	9-25	303	346	–43	Won 2	4-6
Chicago Cubs	24	48	.333	15.5	14-19	10-29	264	334	–70	Lost 4	3-7

Today’s Game

After ruining the incredibly awkward home opener in Miami, the Cardinals return today for a three game set with the Marlins. Jake Westbrook takes the mound for game one. He has a 6-6 record to go with his 3.83 ERA. He faces Ricky Nolasco who is also 6-6 record. His ERA, though, is up to 5.16. Game time is set for 6:10

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