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Records: 18-14, 2nd, 1 GB Des Moines
Mookie Betts hit a three-run homer off St. Louis reliever Bobby Poyner in the top of the fourth inning to snap a 1-1 tie and spur Kansas City to a 5-2 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
River Walkers starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks lasted just one batter -- a ground out by Pit Masters lead-off hitter Greg Jones -- before departing with a dead arm.
He is expected to miss five days and should be able to make his next start.
Two batters later, Danny Cushing put Kansas City in front with a solo homer off reliever Thad Ward.
St. Louis tied it in the bottom of the second on a Byron Buxton homer off Masters starter Trevor Oaks.
Ward began to tire in the fourth, issuing back-to-back one-out walks to Joey Gallo and Brian Mundell.
Poyner took over and struck out Yordan Alvarez.
But Betts pounded a 2-2 pitch some 434 feet over the left-field wall to put Kansas City ahead for good.
The Masters added an insurance run in the sixth when Mundell connected for an RBI double off John Curtiss.
Rookie pinch-hitter Larry Ernesto hit his second homer of the season in the eighth off Andrew Ryan.
Oaks lasted six innings for K.C., allowing the one run on five hits.
David Berg got the first out of the seventh. Ryan handled the rest of that inning and all of the eighth.
Zach Burdi earned his sixth save with a scoreless ninth.