ST. LOUIS (AP) — Kendrys Morales homered and recorded his sixth straight multi-hit game to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night.
Kansas City won for the fourth time in five games and took the two-city, four-game series three games to one.
Brandon Moss and Jhonny Peralta homered for the Cardinals who have lost their last seven home games — their longest losing streak since Aug. 2-15, 1983.
Wade Davis recorded his 19th save in 21 opportunities.
Morales, a designated hitter playing right field for the second straight night, doubled in the sixth inning off Mike Leake (5-6) to push the lead to 3-1. Morales, who went 3 for 4, has 16 hits in 24 at-bats over the six-game run. He went 12 for 16 in the series and started in the outfield for the first time since 2008.
His six-game multi-hit streak ties him for the longest this season along with J.D. Martinez (Detroit), Jackie Bradley Jr. (Boston) and Xander Bogaerts (Boston).
Kansas City reliever Dillon Gee (3-2) picked up the win allowing one run in two innings.
Moss ripped his 17th homer of the season off Royals starter Chris Young, who gave up one run and one hit over four innings, but walked six.
The drive, which went 477 feet according to the Cardinals, is the longest in the history of Busch Stadium. It is the second-longest this season behind Giancarlo Stanton’s 490-foot blast for Miami on May 6, in a 6-4 win over Philadelphia.
Leake gave up three runs, two earned, in seven innings. He struck out four and walked one.
Kansas City pushed across an unearned run in the first before Jarrod Dyson doubled in Alcides Escobar in the second.
St. Louis manager Mike Matheny was ejected in the sixth inning by home plate umpire Mike Everitt. It was Matheny’s first ejection of the season.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Royals: RHP Kris Medlen made a rehab start for Triple-A Omaha on Thursday night against Memphis. Medlen was placed on the DL with right rotator cuff inflammation on May 11.
Cardinals: OF Stephen Piscotty was given the night off after he tweaked his left ankle in the 12th inning of Wednesday’s 3-2 loss. He is listed as day-to-day.
INF Aledmys Diaz was held out of the lineup for the third straight game. He fouled a pitch off the area around his right eye on Monday.
UP NEXT
Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy (6-6, 3.96) will face RHP Jeremy Hellickson (5-6, 4.23) in the first of a three-game series in Philadelphia today. Kennedy stuck out 11 in seven innings in a 6-1 win over Houston on Sunday.
GOLD GLOVE MORALES
Morales’ last appearance in the field before Wednesday came on Sept. 27, 2008, while with the Angels.
He handled all four chances on Wednesday and one on Thursday.
