St. Louis aims to snap a losing streak against Kansas City in a must-win interleague clash that could shape playoff races. The Royals, meanwhile, need every win to avoid sinking deeper into irrelevance.
The St. Louis Cardinals (40-34) and (32-45) collide in an interleague showdown tonight, with the Cardinals desperate to snap their losing streak and the Royals clawing for respect in the AL Central. St.
Louis has dropped three of its last five games, including a series-ending loss to the Reds that exposed offensive and pitching vulnerabilities. The Cardinals’ offense has managed just 12 runs over their last three games, while their bullpen has coughed up five runs in the ninth inning alone. Manager Oliver Marmol has shuffled the lineup and rotation, but the skid persists.
5-game lead in the NL Central over the Reds. Their recent struggles mirror a pattern seen in 2022, when a midseason slump nearly derailed their playoff push before a late surge saved their season. Kansas City, meanwhile, has lost six of its last eight games, including a humiliating sweep at the hands of the White Sox.
12 ERA in that span. Manager Matt Quatraro has leaned on a mix of young arms and veteran stopgaps, but the results haven’t followed. The Royals entered tonight’s game with a 32-45 record, buried in the AL Central basement.
Their inability to string together wins has drawn comparisons to their 2018 campaign, when they finished 58-104, the worst record in baseball. The Cardinals hold a historical edge in this interleague series, winning 13 of the last 20 meetings between the two clubs. However, the Royals have taken three of the last five, including a two-game sweep in St.
Louis last season. Tonight’s game marks the first of three interleague matchups this season, with the Royals holding home-field advantage in the next two. The series carries extra weight this year, as interleague play often serves as a litmus test for postseason readiness, with teams like the Cardinals using it to shore up weaknesses before the stretch run.
The stakes are amplified by the Cardinals’ reliance on their starting rotation to carry them through the summer. With Miles Mikolas and Sonny Gray anchoring the staff, St. Louis has leaned heavily on its rotation to mask offensive droughts.
But when the starters stumble—like they did against Cincinnati—the bullpen has been exposed. The Royals, conversely, have cycled through pitchers at an alarming rate, with 12 different arms logging at least one start this season. Their inability to stabilize the rotation has forced Quatraro to patchwork a lineup that lacks consistent production from its middle order.
For the Royals, this series represents more than just a chance to climb the standings. It’s an opportunity to prove they can compete against a team with a proven track record of postseason success. The Cardinals, despite their recent struggles, remain a model of consistency in the NL Central, a division where the Reds and Brewers have lurked just behind them.
A Royals win tonight wouldn’t just pad their win total—it would send a message that this franchise, often dismissed as a rebuilding project, still has fight left in it. Cardinals reliever Ryan Helsley, coming off a rough outing against Cincinnati, downplayed the skid. “We’re not worried about the streak.
We’re focused on getting better every day and taking care of business one pitch at a time,” Helsley said. Royals starter Brady Singer, who has struggled with consistency, echoed the sentiment. “We’ve got to find a way to manufacture runs and limit damage.
” What’s next: A Cardinals win would quiet the noise around their recent struggles and keep their NL Central hopes alive. The Royals, meanwhile, must treat this as a must-win game to avoid falling further behind in the division race. The next interleague clash is scheduled for Tuesday in Kansas City, where the Royals will look to flip the script.
If St. 500 mark—a psychological barrier they’ve failed to clear in 2024. Read at ESPN
A Cardinals victory would inject life into their NL Central push, while the Royals must treat every game as a lifeline in the AL Central basement. Interleague pride and playoff positioning hang in the balance for both sides. The series also serves as a microcosm of the NL vs. AL divide, where interleague play often exposes gaps in strategy and roster construction that teams must address before October. For the Royals, it’s a chance to prove they’re more than a rebuilding project; for the Cardinals, it’s a test of their ability to grind through adversity and maintain their grip on a fragile division lead.
ESPNespn.com21 Jun, 8:02en
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