The Royals were supposed to have a competitive team this year while the Cardinals were rebuilding. But those roles have been reversed, with the Royals at the bottom of the standings and looking toward next year, while the Cardinals are ahead of the schedule with an exciting young team that is winning games. St.Louis has been in great form recently and has won 9 of its last 13 games.
St. Louis Cardinals (40-32) vs. Kansas City Royals (30-45) Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Cardinals: 4.53 runs scored/game (14th in MLB), 4.38 runs allowed/game (15th)
Royals: 4.01 runs scored/game (26th), 4.69 runs allowed/game (19th)
Jordan Walker is enjoying a breakout season – only nine hitters have hit more home runs than his 18, and only Nick Kurtz has had more RBI than his 56. Ivan Herrera has the seventh-best on-base percentage in baseball at .398. He is a .306/.453/.468 hitter in road games. Nathan Church is hitting .321/.387/.393 in nine games since returning from the injured list.
Alec Burleson hit just .186/.220/.244 against lefties. Former Royals outfielder Nelson Velazquez was called up to Triple-A after hitting .232/.344/.420 with seven home runs in 40 games. The Cardinals demoted former first-round pick Nolan Gorman this year after he hit .194 in 62 games. Shortstop Masin Winn became the youngest player in club history to win a Gold Glove last year, and rookie second baseman JJ Weatherholt is third in baseball in Outs Above Average at +13.
There will be a strange holiday in this series on Saturday due to the World Cup. Parking will be a big challenge at this series so plan ahead. Thursday’s game will air free to air on over-the-air KCTV 5 in Kansas City, while Friday’s game will air exclusively on Apple TV. Friday Night Baseball.
Matthew Liberator has a reverse split, with lefties hitting .319/.342/.623 against him. He has scored four or more runs in 7 of his 14 starts. Opponents are hitting just .167 against his curveball at a slugging rate of 38 percent.
Michael McGreevy has produced a quality start in each of his last three fixtures. He has the fourth-lowest strikeout rate among qualified starters. Seth Lugo is expected to return in this series after missing his last start due to a line drive to the head.
Dustin May pitched a one-hit shutout against the Padres in his last start and pitched a perfect game in the seventh inning. He struggled in his first two starts after joining the Cardinals as a free agent, but his ERA over his last 12 starts is 2.54. Opponents are hitting just .211 against his 96.9 mph fastball.
He has a 4.23 ERA in the Cardinals bullpen, which is filled with mostly anonymous relievers. Riley O’Brien is having a breakout season at the age of 31, and is third in baseball with 18 saves. Kansas City native Ryne Stanek has the 15th-highest strikeout rate among relievers. Lefty JoJo Romero has allowed the fifth-highest hard-hit rate among relievers.
The Cardinals have made a comeback not through big free agent signings or splashy trades, but by identifying good talent and getting the best of them, and by shedding players who were not performing. They have also built a top-five farm system by selling experienced players while positioning themselves well for the future. With the Royals playing next year, they can probably learn a lot of lessons from their neighbors across the state on how to quickly rebuild and field a winning team.
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