Royals at Cardinals
The battle of Missouri sparks up again on Tuesday, when the St. Louis Cardinals host the Kansas City Royals in the opener of a two-game series. The Cardinals will try to bounce back from a tough stretch against the Royals, who sit in last place in the American League Central.
St. Louis is in a four-team battle for National League Central supremacy and fell into fourth place while dropping 13 of their last 17 contests, including two of three in an interleague series at Texas over the weekend. The team's lack of recent success hasn't slowed the bat of shortstop Paul DeJong, who drove in three runs in Sunday's 5-4 loss and went 5-for-12 with a homer and seven RBIs against the Rangers. The Royals totaled seven runs during a four-game slide before breaking out with a 5-1 victory at the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, but are 1-11 in May when scoring four or fewer runs. Cardinals right-hander Michael Wacha will take on that suspect Kansas City offense while righty Homer Bailey goes up against DeJong and company on Tuesday.
TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, FS Kansas City, FS Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH Homer Bailey (4-4, 5.36 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Michael Wacha (3-1, 4.93)
Bailey is trying to find some consistency in his first season with Kansas City and followed up a pair of wins with a loss against Texas on Thursday in which he was reached for six runs - five earned - on eight hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings. The veteran Texan issued 20 walks in 45 1/3 innings over his nine starts. Bailey spent the first 12 seasons of his career in the NL Central with Cincinnati and is 6-15 with a 5.56 ERA in 27 career starts against St. Louis, including two losses last season.
Wacha failed to complete six innings in any of his last four starts but is coming off the best of that stretch after holding the Atlanta Braves to two runs - one earned - and four hits in five frames. The 27-year-old, who ended up with his first loss in a 4-0 final against the Braves, is up to 26 walks in 42 total innings. Wacha won his lone start against Kansas City last season, allowing two runs - one earned - and four hits in 6 2/3 innings while striking out six without a walk.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cardinals CF Dexter Fowler is 1-for-16 with a solo homer over the last five games.
2. Royals LHP Jake Diekman owns 15 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings over his last seven appearances.
3. St. Louis took four of the six meetings last season and eight of 10 over the last two campaigns.