A quality start by Kyle Leahy gave the St Louis Cardinals the boost needed to stay ahead of the Kansas City Royals, claiming the series win with a 4-2 victory Saturday, May 16 at Busch Stadium.

Leahy went six innings for his fifth win of the year, allowing one run on five hits and three walks while fanning two. The Cardinals were better able to capitalize on scoring opportunities, starting early with a sacrifice fly by Alec Burleson that scored Iván Herrera. The Royals tied the game in the fifth when Vinnie Pasquantino singled home Maikel Garcia.

The deadlock didn’t last long, as Victor Scott II reached on a fielder’s choice with one out in the bottom of the fifth. Thomas Saggese slid home when Pasquantino’s throw to Carter Jansen was off-line, pulling Jansen away from the plate. Nathan Church would then score on Masyn Winn’s sacrifice fly to center field for the winning run. Burleson added insurance with an RBI single in the eighth. Kansas City made it interesting in the ninth when Jac Caglianone blasted his fifth home run of the year, but George Soriano recorded a pop out and double-play to secure the win and his second save of the year.

Noah Cameron took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits but striking out four across six innings. The Royals also had eight hits in the game but were one-for-six with runners in scoring position, compared to the Cardinals’ two-for-six mark.

The Cardinals gained ground on the Chicago Cubs, but remain tied with Milwaukee for second in the NL Central at a 27-18 mark, 1.5 games back. The Royals, meanwhile, slumped to their sixth straight loss, 5.5 games behind Cleveland in the AL Central. The Cardinals will task Andre Pallante with the series sweep opportunity Sunday afternoon, while the Royals will turn to Stephen Kolek to snap the losing streak. Pregame is at 12:30 p.m. on KMMO AM 1300, with first pitch at 1:15 p.m.