KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It took longer for the bats to get going in game two, but they were unleashed once again as the St. Louis Cardinals crushed the Kansas City Royals 8-2 on Saturday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.
Starter Luis Mendoza kept the Cardinals at bay up until the fifth inning, when a two-run RBI single by right fielder Carlos Beltran put the Redbirds up 4-0.
Mendoza (2-4, 4.95 ERA) earned the loss, giving up four runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings, striking out two and walking two.
Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright (6-7, 4.32 ERA) looked sharp, giving up two runs on six hits in 7 innings, striking out four and walking one.
Alex Gordon hit an RBI triple to deep center in the sixth, the lone bright spot in an otherwise stagnant day offensively for Kansas City (31-38, 11-22 home).
St. Louis (37-35, 20-19 away) took a 7-2 lead in the seventh inning after a two-run home run by first baseman Allen Craig.
The Cards outhit the Royals 16-6.
St. Louis tries to sweep part two of the I-70 series on Sunday afternoon at the K.
