mlb.com
June 8, 2002

Cards and Morris Cruise Past KC

By Robert Falkoff

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- After being swept at Kauffman Stadium last year, the St. Louis Cardinals are two-thirds of the way toward repaying that debt in full.

The Cardinals used three-run homers by Miguel Cairo, Albert Pujols and Eli Marrero and strong pitching from Matt Morris to claim an 11-3 victory over the Royals before 40,016 Saturday night. St. Louis will go for a three-game sweep in the I-70 series Sunday. It was the largest Royals' attendance other than an Opening Day crowd since July 4, 1993.

Morris was dominant from the third inning on. The St. Louis right-hander improved to 8-4.

"My team got me a big lead and that allowed me to do some things I normally wouldn't do," said Morris. "Eleven runs, that was the difference."

Royals left-hander Jeremy Affeldt struggled with his location and had to leave in the fourth inning because of a finger injury.

The Cardinals are 34-26 while the Royals dropped to 23-36. Affeldt fell to 1-4. The Cardinals outhit Kansas City 15-6.

"We've had two real tough games in this series, but tomorrow's a new day," said Royals manager Tony Pena. "We'll come out with spirit and go from there."

The Royals had managed to break on top in the first as new leadoff man Donzell McDonald rocked a double over Pujols' head in left field for an auspicious first impression. McDonald moved to third on Neifi Perez's sacrifice and scored when Carlos Beltran doubled to left.

But it didn't take long for St. Louis to snatch the lead away. Against Affeldt, Pujols started the second with a single. Affeldt walked Tino Martinez and, after Edgar Renteria bounced into a forceout, Cairo ran the count to 3-1. Affeldt came in with a pitch that Cairo turned around for a three-run homer to left for his first homer of the season.

The Royals chipped within 3-2 in the third as Beltran touched Morris for a leadoff triple to left-center and scored on Mike Sweeney's groundout to second.

It got ugly for the Royals in the fourth as the Cardinals broke it open with a four-run rally. St. Louis got it done in frustrating fashion for the Royals. Eli Marrero caught third baseman Joe Randa playing deep and dropped down a bunt single to start the inning. Fernando Vina then hit a bouncer that probably would have been a forceout if Affeldt hadn't reached out and deflected it for what turned into an infield hit. Placido Polanco then turned in a good piece of hitting with a hit-and-run chop over Randa's head for an RBI single. With three softly hit balls, the Cardinals were rolling.

Things turned decidedly worse for Affeldt after J.D. Drew flied to center. Affeldt had to leave the game because of a blister of the middle finger on his left hand. Mac Suzuki came on and got all the time he wanted to warm up. Pujols waited it out and then launched a three-run homer that made it 7-2.

With a five-run cushion, Morris hit his stride. Following Beltran's leadoff triple in the third, Morris retired the next 18 batters. Morris fanned eight and walked only one in his eight-inning stint.

Marrero put the exclamation point on the Cards' blowout win with his three-run homer in the ninth.