KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ The walk from the mound to the dugout required 19 seconds, a slow, lonely march for Royals pitcher Burch Smith. The last time he departed a game here at Kauffman Stadium, only 17 days ago, the crowd offered him a standing ovation, and he left with his first pitching victory in five seasons.
On Friday, just 32 minutes after unleashing his first toss, this was a quieter stroll, with no one waiting to greet him at the top step of the dugout.
It had turned into a landslide early.
The Cardinals pounced on Smith for five runs on their way to 7-0 win in front of an announced crowd of 29,414 fans at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals (35-80) lost for the seventh time in eight games. The Cardinals hit three home runs _ Paul DeJong, Matt Carpenter and Harrison Bader _ and won for the 11th time in their last 16 games in Kansas City.
Smith was gone before the second inning was completed, making way for Glenn Sparkman, who made a case for his potential inclusion in the rotation moving forward. Sparkman allowed two runs over 41/3 innings and produced three consecutive zeroes after the Cardinals put up five in the second.
But the damage was done _ by a familiar foe. Carpenter is hitting .441 in 15 games in Kansas City, including five homers. On Friday, he served up his most majestic shot yet. The ball was midway through its flight, soon destined for the right-field fountains, when Smith turned back toward home plate umpire Tom Hallion and asked for a new baseball. It traveled 425 feet off the bat.
Carpenter has 32 home runs to lead the National League, including six in his past seven games. That punctuated a five-run second inning. Two batters later, Smith was yanked. He allowed five runs on six hits and one walk, ballooning his season earned run average to 6.97.
Hours before the game, Royals manager Ned Yost acknowledged Smith was still competing to preserve a spot in the rotation, which will squeeze in another arm when right-hander Ian Kennedy is ready for a return from the disabled list. Smith's six-start audition peaked with a one-hit gem on July 24, but the positive notes have been absent otherwise. In those six starts, Smith has allowed 24 runs in 221/3 innings, a 9.77 ERA.
The next man up saved the bullpen. In relief Friday, Sparkman turned in the longest outing of his major league career. He gave up five baserunners across 41/3 innings.
Cardinals starter Austin Gomber threw five shutout innings before handing it over to his bullpen for his second victory. But the Royals weren't without their chances. They left seven men on base in those five innings and 11 in the game.
If the Royals had an opportunity to claw their way back into the game, it arrived in third inning. Adalberto Mondesi opened with a triple, and the Royals eventually loaded the bases with two outs. Hunter Dozier's fly ball found the right fielder Yairo Munoz's glove, and the threat was done.
The Cardinals improved to 35-19 at Kauffman Stadium, though the Royals won two of three in St. Louis this season.
The Royals have gone 10 straight games without an error, a streak that dates back to an appearance at Yankee Stadium last month.
