PREVIEW: Cardinals Host Royals in Series Finale ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — The St. Louis Cardinals will aim for a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon at Busch Stadium III. First pitch is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. CDT under cloudy skies with a temperature of 78 degrees. The Cardinals (27-18) enter the contest riding the momentum of two one-run victories in the opening games of this interleague series. St. Louis defeated Kansas City 4-2 on Saturday and edged the Royals 5-4 in 11 innings on Friday. The Royals (19-27) have lost four consecutive games. Right-hander Andre Pallante (4-3, 3.86 ERA) will start for Kansas City. Pallante has not faced the Cardinals this season. St. Louis will counter with right-hander Kyle Leahy, who is coming off a strong outing in Saturday’s win over the Royals. In that game, Leahy pitched six innings, allowing one earned run on five hits with two strikeouts, earning the victory. The Cardinals are 4-1 in Leahy’s last five starts. Over that span, he has posted a 3.03 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings. Kansas City will look to left-hander Noah Cameron, who took the loss in Saturday’s game. Cameron allowed three earned runs on five hits over six innings, striking out four. Cameron is 0-3 in his last four starts with a 5.40 ERA over 21 2/3 innings. His most recent win came April 24 against the Los Angeles Angels. The Royals’ offense is coming off a quiet performance Saturday. Jac Caglianone provided the only run production with a solo home run, going 2-for-4. St. Louis, meanwhile, is 6-2 against American League opponents this season. The Cardinals are favored by 1.5 runs, with the over/under set at 9.5, according to Interstat’s game simulator, which projects a 6-3 St. Louis victory. Following Sunday’s game, the Royals return home to begin a six-game homestand against Boston and Seattle, starting Monday. The Cardinals will host Pittsburgh on Tuesday before embarking on a six-game road trip to Cincinnati and Milwaukee. Kansas City has lost six of its last seven road games and is 8-15 away from home this season. St. Louis is 14-8 at Busch Stadium III.