ST. LOUIS — The Kansas City Royals mounted an impressive comeback to overcome a five-run deficit and defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 10-7 on Tuesday night. The victory coincided with the major league debut of top Royals prospect Jac Caglianone.
Nick Loftin ignited a six-run rally in the fifth inning with a home run, further fueled by Bobby Witt Jr., who also homered during the game. Although this was Caglianone’s debut, he did not manage a hit in five at-bats, after his call-up from Triple-A Omaha on Monday.
The Royals bullpen played a key role in the win, with Daniel Lynch IV, Steven Cruz (2-0), Angel Zerpa, John Schreiber, and Taylor Clarke combining to deliver 5 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Carlos Estévez then sealed the victory with his 17th save after a scoreless ninth inning.
In a turning point during the fifth inning, Vinnie Pasquantino hit a game-tying two-run double against Cardinals reliever Steven Matz (3-2). Salvador Perez contributed an RBI single that handed Kansas City an 8-7 lead. The rally began with Loftin’s first home run since June 18, followed by singles from Drew Waters, Kyle Isbel, and Jonathan India. Witt’s two-run single cut into the lead, marking the end of Andre Pallante’s pitching tenure that evening.
Pallante gave up a total of seven runs on seven hits over 4 1/3 innings, tying his career-high for runs allowed. Earlier, Alec Burleson had hit a two-run homer to center field, capping off a five-run third inning which pushed Royals starter Michael Lorenzen out after he allowed seven runs on seven hits in just 2 2/3 innings.
Witt’s seventh home run of the season had given Kansas City an initial 2-0 lead in the first inning. Caglianone had a notable moment in the second inning when he nearly secured his first career hit, but the long fly hit was caught by Victor Scott II just short of the wall.
St. Louis faced a rare defeat while scoring four or more runs in Pallante’s starts, ending an eight-game winning streak under such circumstances.
Looking ahead, the Royals will have left-handed pitcher Noah Cameron (2-1, 1.05 ERA) starting against the Cardinals’ right-hander Miles Mikolas (4-2, 3.90 ERA) on Wednesday night.