A familiar issue plagued Kansas City Royals in series opening loss vs. Cardinals
Vinnie Pasquantino provided the charge that many Kansas City Royals fans were looking for on Friday night against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Cardinals starter Andre Pallante challenged Pasquantino with a 94.1 mph fastball in the fourth inning.
And Pasquantino didn’t miss it. He blasted a 448-foot solo homer into the Kauffman Stadium fountains in right-center field. It was the longest home run in his MLB career.
“I’m just trying to be me and not add too much pressure to it,” Pasquantino said. “Just trying to take a deep breath, go have good at-bats and try to help the team any way I can.”
The problem? It wasn’t nearly enough.
The Royals (25-21) stumbled in a 10-3 loss to the Cardinals. It was their third consecutive loss as the Cardinals continued their hot streak.
KC had a few scoring changes. In the first inning, leadoff hitter Jonathan India got aboard with a single and advanced on a wild pitch. However, he was stranded on base as Pallente retired Bobby Witt Jr., Pasquantino and Salvador Perez in order.
“He’s got an interesting mix of pitches,” Pasquantino said. “It’s that high-slot cutter and he did a nice job being around the (strike) zone tonight. Hat tip to him. He did a nice job and we didn’t do what we were hoping to do.”
The Royals’ offensive woes continue to be a major issue. The club finished 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.
The Cardinals (25-20) took advantage in the middle frames. Royals starter Cole Ragans allowed four runs, including a pair of RBI doubles, to Cardinals duo Brendan Donovan and Willson Contreras in the fourth inning.
“I felt like I filled up the zone,” Ragans said. “No walks was big. Left a few pitches over the plate. A couple of sliders that Contreras and Donovan hit pretty hard.”
Ragans later exited the game with a groin injury. Royals manager Matt Quatraro and head trainer Kyle Turner attended to him in the sixth inning.
“It tightened up there on him in the fifth inning,” Quatraro said.
The Royals have scored seven runs, combined, in their last three games. The club has posted four runs or fewer in 38 of 46 games (82.6%), one shy of the Pittsburgh Pirates for most in the majors.
“We had some guys on base and we need to string some more hits together,” Quatraro said.
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Here are more notable aspects of Friday’s game:
Michael Massey starts in outfield
The Royals shifted their outfield on Friday. KC second baseman Michael Massey made his first start in left field against the Cardinals.
Massey experimented at the position this spring. He worked in tandem with India to learn the ropes with the possibility of seeing regular-season action.
Quatraro noted that the switch adds another layer of versatility.
“We are looking to get a bit more stability for everybody,” Quatraro said. “We have asked India and Maikel (Garcia) to bounce around quite a bit. Going back to last year, Massey’s comfort level going out there and what we saw in spring training, we think that’s a good fit for us. Any time we ask guys to move, we don’t take that lightly. We understand how selfless these guys are and that their ultimate goal is to win.”
What’s next: The Royals continue their series against the Cardinals. Noah Cameron will make a spot start on Saturday in place of Seth Lugo. Cameron previously took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in his first MLB start.
This story was originally published May 16, 2025 at 9:52 PM.
