Stung by the big inning through the opening two games of the I-70 Series, the Cardinals showed the Royals on Sunday afternoon that two can play at that game. St. Louis snapped a three-game losing streak in authoritative fashion with a five-run outburst in the first inning and a four-run rally in the second en route to a 12-10 victory at Kauffman Stadium. JJ Wetherholt was the common denominator in the quick-strike offense with a leadoff homer to open the game and then a two-run shot off Kansas City starter Stephen Kolek in the second. It marked only the 12th time in Cardinals history that a player has had two homers through the first two innings of a game. Wetherholt became the first Cardinal leadoff hitter to homer in his first two at-bats since Matt Carpenter in 2018. After a 3-for-5 afternoon, Wetherholt finds himself heading home for a seven-game homestand with a .268 batting average and 12 home runs in his rookie season. “Two homers today, and the at-bats he is taking are super professional,” manager Oliver Marmol said of Wetherholt. “I love where he is physically and mentally right now.” Despite putting up nine runs through two innings, the Cards were on a slippery slope by the fourth as the Royals jumped all over starter Dustin May, who lasted just two innings and allowed six runs. Kansas City closed within 9-7 before Iván Herrera turned the momentum back in St. Louis’ favor with a three-run homer in the fifth. With the ball flying at Kauffman, Marmol mixed and matched with his bullpen and the Cardinals were able to salvage the finale of the three-game set against their cross-state Missouri rivals. While the Cards’ offense was the name of the game, St. Louis also sprinkled in a defensive gem as right fielder Jordan Walker robbed Salvador Perez of a potential home run in the seventh by leaping at the right-field wall and catching the ball in acrobatic fashion.
