Cardinals vs Royals Recap: Dominant Night as 12-10 Shootout Ends in Cardinal Victory

The Cardinals showed up ready to swing at Kauffman Stadium. St. Louis came in on a three-game losing streak, desperate to bounce back after Saturday's 5-6 loss. The Royals were riding a three-game winning streak, looking to stay hot. But Kansas City's starter Stephen Kolek could not find the zone. JJ Wetherholt crushed the first pitch he saw—a 90 mph cutter—and launched it over the right-center wall for a two-run shot. One pitch. One monster homer. The Cardinals weren't done. Lars Nootbaar doubled hard to center, bringing home another run. Then Masyn Winn smashed a 79 mph sweeper 410 feet into left field. That ball carried forever. Three Cardinals scored in that first inning alone. When the Royals answered with two runs in the bottom half on Michael Massey's single, St. Louis still led 5-2. The damage was done early.

St. Louis's bats stayed hot all game long. In the second inning, Wetherholt went deep again—this time a 360-foot blast to left field with Church scoring. JJ Wetherholt was absolutely locked in. Alec Burleson tripled to right, driving in another run. Winn reached on an infield single to third, and Burleson raced home. The Cardinals pushed the lead to 9-2. Kansas City refused to quit. Nick Loftin crushed a 416-foot two-run homer to left-center. Jac Caglianone answered with a monster 444-foot rocket to center field, bringing the score to 9-6. The young Royals slugger was making noise. When the Royals scored one more run in the fourth, the gap narrowed to 9-7. For a team fighting to stay relevant, Kansas City was clawing back. But Ivan Herrera had different plans.

Ivan Herrera made his statement in the fifth inning. The Cardinals' catcher saw a 96 mph four-seam fastball from Steven Cruz and did not miss. The ball exploded off his bat. Herrera's home run flew 414 feet to left-center field, bringing Church and Wetherholt across the plate. The Cardinals stretched their lead to 12-7. Kansas City refused to go quietly. In the sixth inning, Carter Jensen crushed a 374-foot home run to left. One more run. The Royals kept scratching. Then came the ninth inning. Jac Caglianone smoked another blast—426 feet to right-center. Lane Thomas grounded into a fielder's choice, scoring Salvador Perez. St. Louis held on 12-10. The Cardinals improved to 41-34 while Kansas City fell to 32-46. Two teams heading in opposite directions.