ST. LOUIS (AP) — Matt Holliday hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning that helped the St. Louis Cardinals snap a season-high seven-game skid with a 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday.
Holliday drilled an 0-1 pitch from reliever Greg Holland and is 5 for 9 with two homers and four RBIs since coming back from a quadriceps injury June 16.
Kansas City, which won the first game of the series, has lost three of four.
Jason Motte (3-1) earned the win in relief. Closer Fernando Salas converted his 12th save in 13 chances.
Holland (1-1) gave up his first home run of the season.
Alex Gordon gave Kansas City a 4-3 lead with a solo homer in the seventh off St. Louis starter Jake Westbook, who gave up four runs in seven innings.
St. Louis took a 3-2 lead in the third on a run-scoring double by Albert Pujols, who has 52 RBIs against Kansas City.
Matt Treanor then tied the game 3-all with a solo homer in the fourth, his third of.
Kansas City starter Vin Mazzaro allowed seven hits and three runs over six innings. Melky Cabrera robbed Lance Berkman of a home run with a leaping catch over the wall in the sixth inning.
The Cardinals improved to 5-23 when trailing after seven innings.

NOTES — Westbrook batted in the No. 8 spot in the order, the third time this season that manager Tony La Russa has hit the pitcher eighth. St. Louis pitchers hit eighth 77 times last season. ... Westbrook reached a three-ball count on nine of the first 20 hitters. ... St. Louis OF Colby Rasmus broke out of an 0-for14 skid with a single in the eighth. ... The two teams wore Joplin High baseball caps during batting practice in tribute to the southwest Missouri school, which was destroyed by a tornado on May 22. The clubs are wearing, “Teams Unite For Joplin,” patches on their uniforms during the three-game series. ... Miss Missouri, Sydney Friar, threw out the first pitch.