Royals at Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals attempt to take advantage of a team in an even deeper funk when they host the Kansas City Royals on Monday for the opener of their I-70 Series. St. Louis has gone 0-1-3 in four sets since sweeping two- and three-game home series against the Chicago White Sox and Cubs, respectively, to begin the month.
The Cardinals posted a 5-1 victory over Philadelphia on Sunday to earn a split of their four-game set as Tyler O'Neill went 3-for-4 with a solo homer in his ninth major-league contest, while fellow rookie Jack Flaherty registered 13 strikeouts en route to his first career win. Kansas City was battered 10-1 by the New York Yankees on Sunday for its ninth loss in 11 games. The Royals managed just four singles in the setback - including two by Hunter Dozier, who has recorded a pair of two-hit performances in six contests this campaign. Kansas City was outscored 18-4 by New York in back-to-back defeats and has allowed fewer than five runs only twice in its last 12 games.
TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FS Kansas City, FS Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH Ian Kennedy (1-4, 4.98 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Miles Mikolas (5-0, 2.63)
Kennedy looks to end a seven-start winless streak after escaping with a no-decision at Tampa Bay on Tuesday, when he surrendered five runs on seven hits and three walks across six innings. The 33-year-old Californian has not been victorious since scattering four hits and striking out eight over six scoreless frames at Cleveland in his second turn of the season on April 7. Kennedy has not fared well against St. Louis in his career, going 3-6 with a 7.41 ERA in nine starts.
Mikolas is coming off the shortest start of his first season with the Cardinals - and first in the majors since 2014 with Texas, a 4 2/3-inning effort at Minnesota on Wednesday in which he gave up two runs and seven hits en route to a no-decision. The 29-year-old Floridian has yielded fewer than three runs in six consecutive outings after allowing four in each of his first two turns. Mikolas has yet to face Kansas City in his career but is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA in four appearances (three starts) at Busch Stadium.
WALK-OFFS
1. Royals OF Jon Jay, who spent the first six years of his career with the Cardinals, has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games and 34 of 44 this campaign.
2. Kansas City has hit into a major league-high 49 double plays this season, with C Salvador Perez leading the way by hitting into eight.
3. O'Neill's homer on Sunday - his second in as many days - was the first by a St. Louis cleanup hitter at home this year.