Cardinals split intense I-70 series with cross-state Kansas City Royals

When the St. Louis Cardinals came to town to face the Kansas City Royals, they were entering having won just five of their last 10 games. The team had just won the series against the Tampa Bay Rays, but they were stuck at 9-11 since the All-Star Break. For a team fighting for a Wild Card spot, the Cardinals needed to come out swinging against the Royals.

In the first game, Willson Contreras started and finished the game with a message. He had two bookend two-run home runs in the first and ninth innings, and those two big hits carried the offense. Additionally, Victor Scott II hit a go-ahead double in the 8th inning that gave the Cardinals the lead and life late in the game. Despite Miles Mikolas once again labored through four innings while giving up five runs, the Cardinals were able to win an intense 8-5 game.

On Saturday night, Andre Pallante went head-to-head with former Cardinal Michael Wacha. The two starters battled for six innings, but a combination of poor defense, poor baserunning, and lackluster relief appearances doomed the Cardinals in the 7th inning and beyond. Bobby Witt Jr. showed why he's an MVP candidate, Salvador Perez continued to defy Father Time, and Ryan Fernandez extended a stretch of rough appearances.

Defensive blunders by Nolan Gorman, Brandon Crawford, and Tommy Pham allowed the Royals to score runs and extend innings for the Cardinal pitchers. Offensively, the team couldn't muster much aside from an early two-run home run by Paul Goldschmidt. Early offense has been the team's modus operandi recently, and that stretch continued.

Having attended both games in person, I can attest to the atmosphere at Kauffman Stadium. Due to the Royals's ascendance this year, the stadium was rocking. I was in hostile territory, and the fans were rowdy for the hometown Royals. The Cardinals came into Kansas City and split the I-70 series with their cross-state rivals.

The Cardinals have a rare Sunday off day, but they head out on the road to take on the Cincinnati Reds before back-to-back home series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers. The schedule doesn't get any easier after this, folks.