Salvy powers Royals to skid-snapping shutout of Cardinals

ST. LOUIS -- After the Royals’ sixth consecutive loss on Saturday, manager Matt Quatraro was open to anything that might get his team’s offense in gear -- a big hit, a rally that moves the line, anything that points runners toward home plate.

As he’s done for a decade and a half, Salvador Perez decided to offer both in Sunday’s series finale against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, notching a sacrifice fly and his seventh homer of the season to stake the Royals to an early lead which they would hold in a 2-0 victory, salvaging one game of the three in the I-70 series.

Perez added an infield single in the sixth inning and a walk in the eighth in support of Stephen Kolek, who rebounded from a tough outing in Chicago to open the trip with 6 1/3 shutout innings. He allowed just four hits and a walk, recording 13 ground ball outs.

The homer was the eighth of his career for the captain at Busch Stadium, his most at any National League park -- and more than he has at seven active American League stadiums (Baltimore, Los Angeles, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Texas, Toronto and the Athletics).

Despite not drawing a walk against St. Louis starter Andre Pallante, the Royals managed to scatter eight hits against him. Unlike the earlier games this weekend, they came in more or less the right order to do a little damage from the game’s opening frame. Maikel Garcia led off the game with a single and moved to third base after Vinnie Pasquantino singled and Victor Scott II bobbled the ball in center field.

The error put Garcia in place to take advantage of a deep fly ball from Perez that provided a lead which would not be relinquished. A slightly deeper fly ball leading off the fourth -- this one at a Statcast-projected 393 feet -- provided more than enough padding to avoid turning a second winless road trip in the season’s early going.