Miles Mikolas pitched a four-hitter for his first career shutout and Tyler O'Neill homered for the third straight game and drove in four runs, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 6-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.

 

Mikolas (6-0) retired 13 of the final 14 batters he faced. The only trouble he faced came after he allowed back-to-back singles to start the third, but got out of it with the help of a double play.

 

Mikolas faced just three batters over the minimum, lowering his ERA to 2.24 putting him in the top five in the National League. His ninth-inning walk was the first free pass he had issued in 29 1/3 innings at Busch Stadium this season.

 

O'Neill's three-run homer, his first career to the opposite field, capped a four-run third in which the Cardinals strung together five two-out hits. O'Neill's double in the fifth scored Marcell Ozuna, giving the Cardinals a 5-0 lead.

 

Ozuna proceeded O'Neill's blast with an RBI single, breaking a 0-for-22 slump. Ozuna reached three times and had a pair of hits.

 

Matt Carpenter homered in the seventh as part of a three-hit night. Carpenter is hitting .542 (13 for 24) in his last six games, including seven doubles, to raise his average to .210. It is the first time since April 7 that Carpenter's average rose north of .200.

 

Royals starter Ian Kennedy (1-5) gave up five runs, all with two outs, in 5 2/3 innings. He has lost his last five decisions and hasn't gotten a win since April 7.

 

The Royals have lost eight of their last nine.