KANSAS CITY ROYALS ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (62-55) AT KANSAS CITY ROYALS (35-81) - SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2018 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB CARDINALS 0 0 4 0 0 2 0 0 2 8 11 1 5 ROYALS 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 3 5 0 4 WIN: Jack Flaherty (6-6) | LOSS: Danny Duffy (7-11)| SAVE: Jordan Hicks (3) STARTING PITCHERS GAME INFORMATION IP H R ER BB SO WP HR PC/S LEFT First Pitch 6:15 Jack Flaherty 7.0 3 2 2 3 9 0 1 106/71 Up 6-2 Temperature 90° F Danny Duffy 5.1 8 6 6 1 2 1 1 100/63 Down 6-2 Time of Game 2:56 ATTENDANCE SUNDAY’S STARTERS 2018 Tonight: 38,427 (sellout) Total: 1,237,662 Average: 21,713 STL Luke Weaver (R) 2017 After 57 Home Games: Total: 1,558,071 Average: 27,335 KC Jakob Junis (R) THE LOSS: The Royals have lost eight of nine games after winning seven of their previous 12, dropping to 5-28-4 in series play and 35-81 overall. Ê Dropped to 2-3 vs. St. Louis this season and have lost five straight to the Cardinals at Kauffman Stadium since their last win here on June 27, 2016. Ê They’re 4-10 in Interleague play (47-33 from 2014-17) with games remaining vs. St. Louis (tomorrow), at Pittsburgh (Sept. 17-19) and at Cincinnati (Sept. 25-26). Ê Fell to 16-41 at home—their most losses since 2012 (44)—and are on pace for a franchise-record 58 home losses, seven more than the 1998 team (29-51). Ê Played errorless ball for the 11th consecutive game, matching a club record previously done from July 7-21, 2013, May 10-21, 2011 and May 31-June 11, 1997… errorless streak has reached 102 innings dating back to the first frame on July 29, four shy of the club record done May 8-22, 2011 and May 30-June 13, 1997. DANNY DUFFY: He’s allowed at least six runs in three of his last four starts (7.54 ERA (19 ER in 22.2 IP)) on the heels of an 11-start stretch in which he posted a 2.58 ERA (20 ER in 69.2 IP)…he’s yielded at least six runs seven times in 25 starts this season, after doing so just 10 times in 158 appearances (130 starts) from 2011-17. Ê Suffered his 11th loss of the season—one shy of his career high in 2014—and is 16-21 (.432) over the last two seasons after going 36-33 (.522) from 2011-16. Ê Stranded two base runners in the second, but allowed hits to five of eight batters—all with two outs—in his 37-pitch, four-run third, including four straight run-scoring hits…retired the next eight before Jedd Gyorko’s one-out single in the sixth, followed by a two-run HR by Harrison Bader…he was then eject- ed by first base umpire Adam Hamari, exiting after 5.1 innings, trailing 6-2…pitch count by inning: 14 (1st), 13 (2nd), 37 (3rd), 10 (4th), 10 (5th), 16 (6th), 100 total…the ejection was the second of his career, the other coming on June 17 this season vs. Houston for arguing with John Tumpane from the bench. Ê Suffered his first loss to a National League team at Kauffman Stadium since June 24, 2014 vs. the Dodgers, snapping a seven-outing stretch (4 starts) in which he went 3-0 with a 2.93 ERA (9 ER in 27.2 IP) and .173 opponents’ average (17-for-98). BRIAN FLYNN: Pitched 3.0 innings for the fifth time this season and at least 2.0 innings for the 19th time, matching Tyler Glasnow for most in the Majors. ALCIDES ESCOBAR: Hit a two-run HR in the fifth inning, his fourth of the season and first since June 7 at Oakland, snapping a 46-game (157 at-bat) homerless streak…it was the 41st HR of his career, and just his second at a position other than shortstop (pinch-hit HR on May 15, 2010 with Milwaukee, third base tonight). RYAN O’HEARN: Singled with one out in the fifth to snap an 0-for-16 skid dating back to his last hit onAug. 1 in Chicago. CARDINALS: Have won five straight series—improving to 16-14-7 in series play—their longest such win streak since winning five straight from July 30-Aug. 19, 2015. Ê Allowed more than two runs for the first time since a week ago today in Pittsburgh, snapping a streak of five consecutive road games in which they allowed two or fewer, their longest such streak on one road trip since July 5-9, 2005 and one shy of the franchise record during the 1926 World Series season (June 15-20). Ê Alcides Escobar’s two-run HR in the fifth inning snapped their consecutive scoreless-innings streak at 20.0 dating back to the third inning Wednesday in Miami. Ê In 15 games since July 27, the bullpen has a 1.36 ERA (8 ER in 53.0 IP), including a 13-scoreless innings streak that was snapped in the eighth tonight. Ê Improved to 15-9 (.625) since Mike Shildt became interim manager on July 15, including 8-2 this month on the heels of a 12-15 June and 12-14 July. Ê Are 36-19 (.655) at Kauffman Stadium since Interleague play began in 1997, second best in the Majors (min. 10 games) trailing onlyArizona (12-6, .667). Ê Improved to 9-7 in Interleague play and must win two of last four (Sept. 7-9 at Detroit) to clinch first season with winning record since 2015 (16-24 from 2016-17). JACK FLAHERTY: Lowered his ERA to 3.22 (37 ER in 103.1 IP), tops among Major League rookies (min. 12 starts)…the last qualified Cardinals rookie with a lower ERA was Shelby Miller (3.06 in 173.1 IP) in 2013, when he finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting behindJose Fernandez and Yasiel Puig. Ê Allowed three of seven leadoff batters to reach, but none scored thanks to a 3U double play in the first and an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play in the third…held Kansas City scoreless until yielding back-to-back hits in the fifth, the last of which was a two-run HR by Alcides Escobar…retired his last eight before exiting after 7.0 innings, leading 6-2…pitch count by inning: 20 (1st), 8 (2nd), 12 (3rd), 23 (4th), 19 (5th), 7 (6th), 17 (7th), 106 total…went 7.0 IP for the third time in 2018 (7.2 IP on May 20 vs. Philadelphia and 7.0 IP Jue 22 at Milwaukee, both 13-strikeout starts)…eight of 10 runs allowed over his last six starts have come via HR. Ê Extended his team and Major League rookie lead in strikeouts to 127 in 103.1 innings (11.1 K/9), and has 147 in his career, the most by a Cardinals pitcher through 25 career appearances, ahead of Luke Weaver and Shelby Miller (134 each)…he’s recorded at least seven strikeouts in four consecutive road starts (33 K in 23.0 IP), joining Carlos Martinez (6 straight in 2017) with such streaks by a Cardinals pitcher in the last two seasons…prior to Martinez, the only other Cardinals with streaks longer than four such starts are: Bob Gibson (9 from 1968-69 and 5 in 1969), Steve Carlton (6 in 1970) and José DeLeón (6 in 1990). HARRISON BADER: Hit a two-run HR in the sixth offDanny Duffy, and has homered in consecutive games for the third time in his career (also: May 29-30, 2018 and Sept. 1-3, 2017)…it was his 11th career HR, six of which have come vs. left-handed pitchers…he’s batting .353 (12-for-34) this month on the heels of a 1-for-11 skid. JOSÉ MARTÍNEZ: Hit a two-run HR in the ninth inning, his 14th of the season but first since June 30 vs. Atlanta, snapping a career-long 34-game homerless skid. Ê He’s batting .385/.484/.615 (10-for-26) with four extra-base hits and and six RBI—including an RBI single in the fourth—in his last seven games. MARCELL OZUNA: Had an RBI triple in St. Louis’ four-run third inning, his 185th RBI since 2017, breaking a tie with Anthony Rizzo for second most in the NL. Ê After batting .210/.250/.314 (22-for-105) in July, he’s batting .317/.364/.415 (13-for-41) in 10 games this month, including two three-hit efforts. YADIER MOLINA: Started 19th straight team game at catcher (since July 22), extending his Major League record for a catcher at least 35 years old, according to Elias…the only other to start at least five straight games at catcher age 35 or older was his brotherBengie Molina, who started eight straight for San Francisco in 2009. Ê Doubled to end a 10-pitch at-bat in the third inning, the 352nd of his career, matching the late Red Schoendienst for seventh in Cardinals history…of his 352 doubles, 348 have come as a catcher, fourth most all-time at the position, trailing Ivan Rodriguez (551), A.J.