Royals’ skid hits 5 with series-opening loss to Cardinals in extras at St. Louis

The Royals were back in a familiar spot on Friday night. And once again a close game ended the wrong way for Kansas City.

The Royals fell 5-4 in 11 innings to the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Both teams battled until the final out, but it was the Cardinals who pulled out the Interstate-70 series opener.

St. Louis got the run the Royals couldn’t in what turned out to be the final inning.

“It’s disappointing to lose,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “So whether it was the 10th, 11th, whatever, we lost the game. Guys played their hearts out, came up a run short. So it really stinks.”

The Royals had two runners aboard with no outs in the 11th inning but came up empty: Michael Massey, Kyle Isbel and Maikel Garcia were retired in succession.

The Cardinals (26-18) took advantage of their opportunity. Pinch-hitter Yohel Pozo hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning.

KC dropped to 19-26 and has now lost five consecutive games. The Royals finished 3 for 12 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base Friday.

They’ve now dropped 16 of their first 22 road games, the second-worst mark in the majors in that area.

“Any time we’re scoring runs, I feel like that’s how our offense clicks,” Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. said. “So we’ve just got to get back to doing that and playing good baseball.”

Here’s how Friday’s game played out:

Michael Wacha spins quality start

The Royals turned to longtime veteran Michael Wacha on Friday night against the Cardinals — his former team.

They needed their stopper.

Wacha, who spent seven seasons with the Cardinals, returned to his old stomping grounds and pitched like an All-Star. He entered with a 2.63 ERA across eight appearances and was coming off two consecutive quality starts.

Quatraro expressed confidence in Wacha before the game. The Royals came into Friday night’s contest on a four-game losing streak and had just been swept by the Chicago White Sox.

Wacha turned in another quality start Friday. He surrendered three runs on five hits while recording five strikeouts.

“You know, there are a couple pitches that I’d like to have back there,” he said.

The Cardinals tagged Wacha early with two home runs. St. Louis star Jordan Walker hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning — his 13th of the season — to erase a two-run deficit. And later, Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages hit a solo blast to straightaway center.

See photos from Kansas City Royals’ I-70 Series opener at the St. Louis Cardinals

Wacha worked around the damage. He settled for a no-decision despite giving the Royals a chance to come through late.

“Really solid,” Quatraro said of the 34-year-old’s effort. “I mean, he gave up the two homers.

“The ball was flying there. You could tell in BP. They hit two balls well to center, but especially after getting hit in the foot, the way he competed kept us in that game. He leaves the game tied after six — it’s pretty impressive.”

The Royals scratched across runs in the middle innings. Left fielder Isaac Collins drove home two in bases-loaded situations. He recorded a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and an RBI groundout in the sixth.

Both teams turned to their bullpens late. Royals relievers Daniel Lynch IV and Nick Mears worked around traffic, aided by some quality defensive plays. Third baseman Maikel Garcia started a 5-3 double play to help Mears escape an eighth-inning jam unscathed.

And Kyle Isbel made a diving grab in center to send the game to extras. He robbed Ivan Herrera of a potential game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth.

Extra, extra!

In the top of the 10th, Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. hit a go-ahead RBI double that gave the Royals a 4-3 lead.

But the Cardinals responded in the bottom half of the 10th. Alec Burleson hit an RBI single off Royals closer Lucas Erceg to tie the game again.

After the Royals failed to cash in atop the 11th, the Cardinals won it.

“We’re trying to win games here,” Wacha said. “This one definitely stings, for sure. But hey, we’ll be back out there tomorrow, ready to compete and ready to even up this series.”

What’s next: Royals left-hander Noah Cameron (2-2, 5.55 ERA) will start Saturday’s afternoon game against the Cardinals. St. Louis will send right-hander Kyle Leahy (4-3, 4.31 ERA) to the mound, with first pitch set for 1:15 p.m. Central Time at Busch Stadium.