KANSAS CITY -- There's something about Kauffman Stadium that definitely appeals to Matt Carpenter.
When Carpenter golfed a three-run homer into the right-field stands to cap a six-run rally in the fourth inning of an 11-3 Cardinals victory over the Royals on Monday, the Kansas City fans had a feeling of deja vu. Yes, they've seen this Carpenter act plenty of times before.
Carpenter finished 2-for-4 to lift his career batting average at Kauffman Stadium to .451 in 13 games.
"I've always thought it was a good place to hit," Carpenter said. "Certain places, your confidence is high. I guess that's the case here."
As a shaky two-error inning unfolded in the fourth, the Royals were still hanging within 4-1 when Carpenter unloaded against Royals starter Ian Kennedy. It was Carpenter's first homer since June 24, snapping a 34-game long ball drought.
"A little slider down and in and I was able to get the barrel on it," Carpenter said.
By breaking out offensively for 24 runs combined in the last two days, the Cardinals have reached the .500 mark (56-56) for the first time since June 2, when the club was 26-26.

"That [.500 mark] has been the elusive number for us to get to," Carpenter said. "We always said if we could get to .500, we felt like we could get rolling."
The Cardinals realize that double-digit scoring is the exception, not the rule. Still, they feel they may be turning an offensive corner that could bode well for a strong stretch drive.
"For an offense that has been struggling, this is the kind of momentum you want," Carpenter said. "It's unrealistic to think you are going to score 10 [runs] every night. But if we can score five or six to go with our starting pitching, that's what we are looking to do."