KC Royals News: Cards on deck, Kris Bubic, Logan Porter

STORY UPDATE: After we published this story, tonight's scheduled game between the KC Royals and St. Louis was postponed by rain. It will be made up in a Wednesday doubleheader. Watch for our more complete story later today.

The 2024 edition of the I-70 Series kicks off tonight when the Royals face the Cardinals in St. Louis. Scheduled to pitch are Michael Wacha for Kansas City and Andre Pallante for St. Louis.

Wacha, 5-6 with a 3.74 ERA, spent the first seven of his 12 big league seasons with the Cardinals and went 59-39, 3.91 in 165 appearances before moving on to the Mets, Tampa Bay, Boston, and San Diego before signing a free agent deal with Kansas City over the winter.

Pallante is in his third Cardinal campaign and is 4-3, 4.00 in 16 games (seven starts) this season.

The Royals began Tuesday in third place in the American League Central; they've been there since dropping out of second June 29. The Cards are in second place in the National League Central.

Tonight's first pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. CDT at Busch Stadium. Bally Sports Kansas City and Bally Sports Midwest both have the telecast. And as usual, Royals fans can listen on Kansas City's KCSP-AM 610 Sports Radio and the other stations on the Royals Radio Network.

The teams conclude their two-game series Wednesday at 6:45 p.m. CDT. Their home-and-home matchups for this season end when St. Louis visits Kauffman Stadium Aug. 9 and 10.

Kris Bubic enjoyed a good return to the majors Sunday

Just in case you missed it, Bubic is back with the Royals after missing over a year of big league action while rehabilitating from Tommy John Surgery. Reactivated as part of the moves the club made Saturday, including the return of reliever Walter Pennington to the minors, Bubic pitched the final frame of KC's lopsided 10-1 victory over Colorado Sunday and struck out two Rockies in his three-up, three-down inning.

Former Royals prospect Logan Porter is still hitting

Almost a month has passed since Kansas City did right by Logan Porter and traded him to the Giants. Despite playing well for parts of three seasons at Triple-A Omaha, especially at the plate, and showing a knack for getting on base — he boasts a six-season .403 minor league OBP — Porter received only a late 2023 season call to the majors. It had become abundantly clear he had no future with the Royals when they sent him to San Francisco in a player-for-cash deal.

Porter hasn't made it to the Giants yet, but that doesn't mean he's faring badly at Triple-A Sacramento. Porter is hitting .291 with a .365 OBP and a pair of home runs in 16 games for the River Cats.

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