ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — Alec Burleson drove in two runs and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Saturday afternoon at Busch Stadium III, winning the second game of the annual I-70 series. The start was delayed 46 minutes by rain. Kyle Leahy (5-3) allowed one run on five hits over six innings in his first career start against Kansas City. George Soriano earned his second save despite surrendering a leadoff homer to Jac Caglianone in the ninth. Noah Cameron (2-3) took the loss, giving up three earned runs on five hits in six innings. The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first on a Burleson sacrifice fly. The Royals tied it in the fifth on Vinnie Pasquantino’s RBI single, but St. Louis answered with two runs in the bottom half on a fielder’s choice by Victor Scott II and a sacrifice fly by Masyn Winn. Burleson added an RBI single in the eighth. Caglianone’s homer in the ninth was Kansas City’s only extra-base hit. The Cardinals improved to 27-18; the Royals fell to 19-27. Attendance was 32,379. Time of game was 2:07.

ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — Alec Burleson drove in two runs and the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Saturday in the second game of the annual I-70 series, much to the delight of some boisterous and shirtless fans in the right-field seats at Busch Stadium III. A rain delay of 46 minutes pushed the start of the afternoon game into the early evening. The game itself lasted 2 hours, 7 minutes and was played before an announced crowd of 32,379. Kyle Leahy earned the victory, his fifth of the season against three losses. The right-hander worked six innings for the Cardinals, allowing one run on five hits while striking out two. He lowered his ERA to 3.12. Noah Cameron took the loss for Kansas City, falling to 2-3 after also pitching six innings. Cameron gave up three earned runs on five hits and struck out four. George Soriano picked up his second save of the season despite surrendering a leadoff home run in the ninth inning to Jac Caglianone. Soriano allowed two hits and one earned run in his one inning of work. St. Louis improved to 27-18, while Kansas City fell to 19-27. The Cardinals struck first against Cameron in the bottom of the first inning. Ivan Herrera led off with a ground-rule double down the right-field line. Jordan Walker singled to left, advancing Herrera to third. Burleson then lifted a sacrifice fly to right fielder Jac Caglianone, scoring Herrera for a 1-0 lead. Kansas City answered in the top of the fifth. Maikel Garcia led off with a double to left. After Bobby Witt Jr. lined out, Vinnie Pasquantino singled to center, driving in Garcia to tie the game at 1-1. St. Louis reclaimed the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Thomas Saggese singled to left, and Nathan Church followed with a double to right, putting runners at second and third with no outs. After Pedro Pagés flied out, Victor Scott II reached on a fielder’s choice that scored Saggese, tying the game at 2-2. Masyn Winn then flied out to center on a sacrifice fly, scoring Church to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead. The game remained 3-2 until the bottom of the eighth inning. Cameron had been lifted for relief pitcher Bailey Falter, who entered for the seventh. Falter pitched two innings, allowing three hits and one earned run. In the eighth, Scott II singled to center off Falter. Winn grounded into a force out, erasing Scott at second. Herrera walked, putting two on with one out. Walker flied out to center, but Burleson delivered a sharp single to left field that scored Winn. Herrera advanced to third and Burleson moved to second on a throwing error by catcher Elias Diaz, making it 4-2. Kansas City mounted a late rally in the top of the ninth against Soriano. Caglianone led off with a home run to right field, his fifth of the season, slicing the deficit to 4-3. Isaac Collins followed with a single to right. But Soriano recovered. Michael Massey flied out sharply to center, and Kyle Isbel grounded into a double play, second baseman Saggese to shortstop Winn to first baseman Burleson, ending the game. Both teams collected eight hits. For the Cardinals, Nathan Church went 2 for 3 with a double and a run scored. Victor Scott II was 2 for 3 with a run batted in and a run scored. Burleson finished 1 for 3 with two RBIs. For Kansas City, Caglianone went 2 for 4 with a home run and an RBI. Garcia doubled and scored a run. Pasquantino had a hit and an RBI. Witt Jr. walked and singled. The Cardinals’ bullpen held the Royals in check after Leahy departed. Gordon Graceffo pitched a scoreless seventh, allowing one hit. Justin Bruihl worked a perfect eighth with no hits and no walks. Soriano earned the save despite the rocky ninth. The pivotal moment of the game was the bottom of the fifth inning, when the Cardinals turned a 1-1 tie into a 3-2 lead. After Church’s double put two runners in scoring position, Pagés’ flyout failed to advance the runners, but Scott II’s fielder’s choice scored Saggese and moved Church to third. Winn’s sacrifice fly then plated Church, giving St. Louis the lead for good. The two-run inning erased the Royals’ earlier tying run and provided the margin the Cardinals would protect. Kansas City had opportunities but could not capitalize. In the second inning, the Royals loaded the bases with two singles and a walk, but Garcia grounded into a force out to end the threat. In the seventh, Kyle Isbel doubled with one out, but Garcia flied out and Witt grounded out. The game was the second of a three-game set at Busch Stadium. St. Louis had beaten Kansas City 5-4 in 11 innings on Friday night. The series concludes Sunday afternoon. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of St. Louis 5, Kansas City 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave the Cardinals a 54.20 percent probability of winning. Despite that projection, Kansas City had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total of six runs scored went over the over-under line of nine.

Preview: Royals at Cardinals ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — The I-70 Series shifts to Busch Stadium III on Saturday afternoon, where the St. Louis Cardinals (25-18) host the Kansas City Royals (19-25) in the second game of their season series. First pitch is scheduled for afternoon under cloudy skies and 84-degree heat. Right-hander Kyle Leahy (4-3, 5.06 ERA) takes the mound for Kansas City. Leahy has been a steady presence in the rotation, though the Royals have dropped three straight (Interstat) — all by one-run margins at Chicago (Interstat) — and five of their last six overall. St. Louis counters with right-hander Michael McGreevy (2-3, 4.21), who is coming off a dominant stretch. McGreevy has allowed one earned run across his last 18 innings, including a six-inning, one-hit shutout of San Diego on May 8 and a six-inning, three-hit win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 2. The Cardinals took Friday’s opener 3-3 in a game that ended in a tie after extra innings (Interstat) — a rarity that underscored the tightness of this rivalry. St. Louis has won four of its last six, while Kansas City has struggled to generate consistent offense, scoring two or fewer runs in four of its past five contests. For Kansas City, reliever Luinder Avila has been a bright spot out of the bullpen. Over his last six appearances, Avila has posted a 1.50 ERA with eight strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings, including back-to-back scoreless outings against the Chicago White Sox on May 12 and May 14. For St. Louis, McGreevy is the player to watch. The right-hander has recorded quality starts in four of his last five outings, striking out 24 batters while walking just four in that span. His ability to induce weak contact (Interstat) — he allowed only five hits in his last two starts combined (Interstat) — makes him a tough matchup for a Kansas City lineup that ranks near the bottom of the National League in batting average. The Interstat game simulator projects a 5-4 St. Louis victory. The ELO system gives the Cardinals a 54.20 percent probability to win. Despite that, oddsmakers have installed Kansas City as a -1.5 favorite on the run line. The over/under is set at 9. Both teams continue their series Sunday before Kansas City returns home to face Boston and St. Louis hosts Pittsburgh.