Jeff Francis’ pitching helps Kansas City Royals defeat St. Louis Cardinals, 3-0 – MLB Update
Kansas City Royals’ starter, Jeff Francis had a notable day as he pitched seven solid innings and struck out six batters in the Royals’ 3-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City on May 20.
Francis did not give away a run on six hits and pitched with an ERA of 4.23. He permitted just two walks on his 94 pitches. Francis expressed his excitement as, “I mean, I'm still 1-5. As much relief as there may be, it's a long year.” The relievers also
contributed equally as they also went score-less in their combined single inning pitches. Joakim Soria worked a ninth inning for his seventh save of the season.
The first six innings passed away score-less as the pitchers threw the ball in good line and length. The Cardinals’ batters were outclassed in front of Francis. Ryan Theriot was struck out swinging while Colby Rasmus grounded out to short-stop during the
first inning. The batters from both teams displayed a shaky performance right through the game.
The Royals’ Manager Ned Yost had a huge ovation for Francis. He was content with his changes. During the press conference, Yost said, “He changed speeds, kept the ball down, just pitched the way he did the last seven innings against Detroit. He did a nice
job keeping them off balance. I've been pulling for the kid so hard for him to get his first win.”
In the seventh inning, the Royals’ batters stepped on the gas and contributed three runs for their team to take a 3-0 lead. Brayan Pena hit a sacrifice fly to centre-field position and Billy Butler scored a first run of the game. Wilson Betemit scored a
second run when Alcides Escobar drove a single-run shot off right-field.
Chris Getz scored a final run of three-run campaign when Escobar moved to third base and Miguel Cabrera hit a sacrifice fly towards the centre-field. The last two innings again remained empty due to impressive throws of the relievers.
The Cardinals’ Manager Tony La Russa was frustrated with the loss. He said, “We messed up a couple of situations on offense and couldn't get him the lead. It could have been a different game.”
Chris Carpenter threw six innings with an ERA of 4.88 and allowed three runs on nine hits.
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