The Royals and Cardinals finished off a three-game series in Kansas City Sunday, with St. Louis earning a 10-3 win and a sweep. Mike Matheny struck first for the Cardinals with a two-run single in the second inning. So Taguchi followed up with a one-run single to make it 3-0 St. Louis. Matheny drove in four runs, while Taguchi had two RBI’s. The Cardinals produced 15 singles on Sunday. The Cardinals made it 5-0 with RBI singles from Reggie Sanders and Hector Luna. The Royals cut into the Cardinals’ advantage in the fourth inning with three runs. Dee Brown hit a sacrifice fly, Desi Relaford scored on an error and Tony Graffanino drove in a run with a single. That was it for Kansas City offensively. In the fifth, the Cardinals rallied for four more runs to make it 9-3. Jason Marquis lasted five innings and was charged with all three runs, but improved to 7-4 on the season. Jimmy Gobble was tagged with six runs and dropped to 4-5 on the season. The victory lifted St. Louis’ winning streak to five games and put them 17 games over .500. They also increased their lead in the National League Central to five games over the Cubs and Reds. The sweep dropped the Royals’ record to 28-44, which is the worst in the American League…. The Royals had a scare when first baseman/designated hitter Ken Harvey was hit with a pitch. He didn’t leave the game immediately but was eventually pulled. He’ll be OK. Reliever Jeremy Affeldt will miss 6-8 weeks with a strained muscle in his rib cage.
