ST. LOUIS_Dexter Fowler's at bat in the seventh inning of Thursday's series finale against the Kansas City Royals had an air of deja vu about it, but there was one piece missing: a stray cat scampering across the outfield.
No, the famed "rally cat" did not return to Busch Stadium for a second straight night Thursday. Turns out, the St. Louis Cardinals are capable of rallying without it.
Fowler's plate appearance with the game tied 3-3 on Thursday had a lot of similarities to when Yadier Molina pointed his bat at a kitten running across the outfield and promptly hit a grand slam on Wednesday.
Like in Molina's at bat, the bases were loaded for Fowler, courtesy of singles by Matt Carpenter and Tommy Pham and a walk drawn by Paul DeJong. Like Molina, Fowler had to endure a brief delay_though Thursday's was the result of a conference at the mound, not a fugitive feline.
Like Molina, Fowler crushed the first pitch he saw after the delay over the fence for a grand slam.
The grand slam was the third of Fowler's career. It gave him a career-high five RBIs in the game.
Through five-and-a-half innings, Thursday's game seemed reminiscent of the Cardinals before the winning streak and the "rally cat."
Cardinals starter Lance Lynn clawed his way through six frames. Lynn pitched around defensive blunders, including a Kolten Wong fielding error that led to an unearned run in the second inning, a bases-loaded-no-outs jam in that same frame, and a line drive that glanced off his head in the third.
After talking with Mike Matheny and trainer Adam Olsen, Lynn remained in the game and returned to his form of late, getting the next eight outs without allowing a hit. But one bad pitch was hit by Royals right fielder Melky Cabrera into deep right field, where it bounced off Jose Martinez's outstretched glove. Two runs scored, giving the Royals a 3-0 lead.
Lynn ended up recording his seventh straight quality start. But to that point, the Cardinals offense had recorded just two hits. Even in the three innings when they had runners in scoring position, thanks to a walk and two Royals errors, the hitters couldn't deliver.
It felt like the last series the Cardinals played at home, against the Arizona Diamondbacks, when they scored five runs in four games and hit six-for-28 with runners in scoring position.
Then the bottom of the sixth inning arrived, and the Cardinals' lineup awoke.
DeJong got on base to lead off the inning when he was hit by a pitch from Royals starter Jason Hammel. Fowler, batting fourth for the second straight day, hit a double off the wall in right field that scored DeJong.
Hammel was removed in favor of Peter Moylan, but that didn't stop the Cardinals' momentum. The first batter Moylan faced, Molina, hit a single into left. Jose Martinez then hit a grounder back to Moylan, but in an effort to force Molina out at second base, Moylan threw the ball into center field. Fowler scored and Molina advanced to third on the error.
Molina then tied the game by tagging up from third when Wong hit a fly ball to the warning track in left field.
Despite Fowler's grand slam the following inning, the drama was not done.
Brett Cecil came on to pitch the top of the eighth for the Cardinals and allowed singles to the first two batters he faced, Mike Moustakas and Alcides Escobar. Cecil then struck out Alex Gordon before being removed in favor of Seung-Hwan Oh.
Oh gave up a single to the first batter he faced in catcher Drew Butera to load the bases. Former Cardinal Bandon Moss then came to the plate as a pinch hitter.
Moss hit the second pitch he saw into deep right field. The ball bounced off the top of the padded fence in front of the Cardinals bullpen, inches away from being another grand slam, and back into play. Two runs scored.
A third scored to bring the Royals within one when Royals leadoff man Whit Merrifield hit a fly ball into center field and Butera tagged up from third. Oh was removed in favor of Trevor Rosenthal, who has re-claimed his closer role by tallying six straight scoreless outings. Rosenthal got Lorenzo Cain to fly out to right, ending the inning.
DeJong provided an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth when his double scored Pham, who had gotten on base with a walk. Rosenthal then took the mound for the ninth and retired the first two batters he faced.
With two outs, Moustakas hit a single, bringing the tying run to the plate in Alcides Escobar. Rosenthal struck Escobar out.
The Cardinals, three games over .500, are now one game behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central for the first time since May 27.
