Interleague play has produced some unsavory match-ups but one success story can be found in the Show-Me State, where the Cardinals and Royals have a series that couldn’t be more competitive. After Kansas City’s 5-2 win at Busch Stadium, the two teams have won 12 games apiece since interleague play began in 1997. Jeremy Affeldt was the winning pitcher, going 6 2/3 innings. He allowed two runs off seven hits, walked one and struck out four. He was equally effective at the plate, driving in a run to cap a three-run rally in the fifth inning. Affeldt has struggled with recurring blisters on his middle finger, but showed no signs of blisters despite throwing 116 pitches. He improved to 4-3 on the season. Garrett Stephenson got the loss, dropping to 4-6. Albert Pujols upped his RBI total to 66 with a single in the seventh. The win allowed the Royals to keep pace with the first-place Twins. Kansas City finds itself a game out of first in the A.L. Central. Despite losing two of three over the weekend, the Cardinals are just a game and a half out of first in the N.L Central and in third place. Chicago relinquished the top spot to Houston over the weekend. The Royals and Cardinals are both off today. Kansas City visits Cleveland tomorrow, while St. Louis hosts Cincinnati.
