Royals-Cards rained out Tuesday; doubleheader Wednesday

ST. LOUIS – With the remnants of powerful Hurricane Beryl dumping heavy rain on the St. Louis area throughout the day, the Royals-Cardinals game originally scheduled for Tuesday was postponed until Wednesday.

The first installment of the I-70 series for 2024 will be played on Wednesday as part of a split doubleheader, with Game 1 set to begin at 12:45 p.m. CT at Busch Stadium. Wednesday’s originally scheduled game between the Royals and Cardinals will begin at 6:45 p.m. CT.

Tickets for Tuesday night’s game will be valid for Game 1 on Wednesday. Additionally, the Cardinals announced that fans in possession of paid tickets for Tuesday’s postponed game will be awarded a ticket voucher for a future Monday-Thursday Cardinals home game. Additional ticket information can be found at cardinals.com/rain.

The 49-43 Royals, who recently dropped two of three in Colorado to begin their eight-game road trip, are trying to win their 50th game by early July after totaling just 56 victories all of 2023. They didn’t capture their 50th win until Sept. 19 last season. Still, they have lost 17 of their last 27 games and on the season are just 18-25 on the road, having dropped eight of the last 10 away from Kauffman Stadium.

As for the 48-42 Cardinals, they are coming off a 5-2 road trip where they took two of three from the Pirates and three of four from the Nationals. The Cardinals, winners of 12 of the last 17 games, have gone a National League-best 33-18 since May 12, going from a season-worst nine games below .500 to a season-best six games above .500.

The Redbirds have been significantly better in nearly every facet over their last 51 games, averaging 4.7 runs per game (12th in MLB) while posting a 3.63 ERA (fifth in MLB) since May 12. Before that hot stretch, the Cards averaged just 3.4 runs (29th in MLB) with a 4.28 ERA (20th in MLB) and started the season 15-24.

The Cards and Royals will be allowed to add a 27th player to their rosters for the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader, per MLB rules. The Cardinals announced that they will start Andre Pallante (4-3, 4.00 ERA) in Wednesday’s Game 1, while they have not yet declared a starter for Game 2.

Staff ace Sonny Gray (9-5, 3.30 ERA) was originally scheduled to pitch on Wednesday, but he could be bumped to Friday, when the Cardinals begin a four-game, three-day home series against the rival Cubs. Gordon Graceffo, the No. 9-ranked prospect in the Cardinals system, per MLB Pipeline, could be a strong candidate for the Game 2 start. Graceffo, who hasn’t pitched for Triple-A Memphis since July 4, made his MLB debut with the Cardinals on June 29. He allowed just one run, striking out four over 4 1/3 innings of relief work.

Michael Wacha, a first-round pick by the Cardinals in the 2012 Draft, was scheduled to face his former team on Tuesday and will instead start Game 2 for the Royals on Wednesday, per the club. Alec Marsh (6-6, 4.57 ERA) will start Wednesday’s Game 1 for Kansas City.

Wacha, who won 59 games for the Cardinals from 2013-19, has pitched for five different teams since leaving St. Louis. He is 2-0 with a 2.19 ERA in two games against the Redbirds, and he’s been particularly effective for the Royals this season since coming off the injured list on June 22 with a fractured left foot. He’s posted a 1.65 ERA over his three starts for the Royals since coming off the IL.