KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Placing into perspective the Cardinals' recent robust slugging, consider that they didn't score as many as six runs in any game covering a nine-game span from July 27-Aug. 5. In the three games played since then, they have scored at least six runs in an inning in each.
The telling cause and effect is that the last three games have been dominant victories, providing the Cardinals a winning streak of four for the first time since June 28-July 1.
Their 10-3 drubbing of the Kansas City Royals Tuesday night shoved them above the .500 level for the first time since June 1 and for the first time in a long time, there is a definite bounce to their step. Now that they are over .500 they, with at least some legitimacy, can view themselves as contenders and, with 49 games left, the standings say that they are contenders in the National League Central Division.
The Cardinals have bashed seven home runs in the last three games, the seventh smote by Jedd Gyorko, who had been benched for two games when he went 2 for 20 on this trip. After Yadier Molina had put the Cardinals ahead 4-3 with a two-run single in the fifth, Gyorko blasted his first homer since July 14 to polish off the six-pack.
The Cardinals also had scored six runs in the fourth inning in Monday's 11-3 win over the Royals and nine in the fourth inning on Sunday in a rout at Cincinnati. In the last three games, they have outpointed their opponents 34-10 and over the last four, 38-11.
