Friday’s Game Report: Cardinals 10, Royals 3
By Rob Rains
For much of the first part of this season, the Cardinals struggled to get any offensive production out of the designated hitter spot in the batting order.
Ivan Herrera is doing his best to change that, and he did again on Friday night.
Herrera had two doubles among his three hits, one of which came with the bases loaded ] and led the Cardinals to the win in the opener of a three-game series against the Royals in Kansas City.
Herrera also drove in a fourth run with his single and he scored twice as he continued his offensive surge since he returned from the injured list.
In his six games on the current road trip which coincided with his recovery from a bone bruise on his knee, Herrera has gone 10-of-22 with eight RBIs and six runs scored. Five of those games came with Herrera serving as the designated hitter.
The win improved the Cardinals record on this trip to 6-1 with two games to play. They have won 11 of their last 12 games and moved to a season-high five games over .500.
Here is how Friday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: Willson Contreras also had a pair of doubles and scored three runs … Herrera’s three-run double in the sixth inning helped the Cardinals break open a 3-2 game, when they scored four runs to increase the lead to 7-2 … Brendan Donovan also had one of the team’s five doubles with his second consecutive three-hit game, also scoring two runs.
On the mound: Andre Pallante allowed seven hits and two runs over seven innings. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out four. Pallante held the Royals hitless in 10 at-bats with a runner in scoring position … Gordon Graceffo worked the final two innings, giving up the final Kansas City run.
Key stat: Five of Herrera’s 10 hits on the road trip have been for extra bases, four doubles and a home run. For the season, including his time before he went on the injured list, 11 of Herrera’s 18 hits have gone for extra bases, six doubles and five home runs.
Worth noting: Contreras has been almost as hot as Herrera. His two doubles extended his on-base streak to a career-high 27 games … Pitching prospect Tekoah Roby struck out 11 batters in 5 2/3 innings for Springfield on Friday night and did not walk a batter …Former Cardinal Ryan Loutos was promoted from Triple A by the Dodgers on Friday.
Up next: Miles Mikolas will get the start on Saturday night in the second game of the series.
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