ST. LOUIS — The momentum the Cardinals created to win in walk-off fashion during Game 1 of a Thursday doubleheader vs. the Royals at Busch Stadium could not carry them through Game 2 despite their early efforts to close a four-run deficit.

Down 5-1 heading into the bottom of the third inning, the Cardinals slugged their way to a tie with extra-base hits from Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado. Contreras provided the first of the two RBI hits with a double and Arenado evened the game at five runs apiece with a two-run homer. But beyond the third inning, the Cardinals produced just two hits and struck out nine times in a 7-5 Game 2 loss to Kansas City.

After closing the lead the Royals built early in Game 2, the Cardinals fell behind when Kansas City scored a run in fourth inning off starter Matthew Liberatore. Kansas City added its seventh run in the fifth when Salvador Perez singled off John King, who allowed the runner he inherited from Liberatore to score.

Coming off a five-run outing vs. the Rangers, Liberatore surrendered a season-high seven runs across four-plus innings. He threw 71 pitches before exiting his start alongside a team athletic trainer due to “fatigue-related issues,” a Cardinals official said. Liberatore issued a walk to Maikel Garcia to begin the fifth and was visited by Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol and a team trainer following the at-bat.

During his matchup with Garcia, Liberatore’s fastball dipped to as low as 89.5 mph. His average fastball Thursday night sat at 93.9 mph, which was 0.5 mph lower than his has been all season, per Statcast. The average velocity for his change-up, cutter, sinker, and curveball were all at least 1.4 mph lower than his season averages for those pitches.

The Cardinals (34-28) were handed back-to-back series losses after dropping a three-game road series in Texas last weekend.

Falling behind early

Liberatore’s inability to limit Royals hitters included allowing two home runs and eight hits. The two homers were the most Liberatore has surrendered in a start this year while the eight hits matched a season high.

Of the five swings the Royals took against Liberatore that led to runs, four came on the first pitch the lefty offered.

The first two of the seven runs Liberatore allowed came in the first inning on a homer by Garcia. Garcia pounced on a first-pitch fastball from the left-hander for an opposite-field homer that hit off the foul pole in right field. After allowing a solo home run to Freddy Fermin on an 0-1 curveball to begin the third inning, Liberatore surrendered a run on a groundout from Vinnie Pasquantino later that inning on the first pitch of their encounter.

In the following at-bat, Salvador Perez’s 111 mph line drive on an 0-0 cutter from Liberatore scored Garcia from third base following the latter’s double with one out in the frame.

The sixth run Liberatore allowed came on back-to-back doubles from Mark Canha and Nick Loftin. The softly hit double Loftin poked down the first base line that was out of the reach of Contreras was on a changeup that begin the at-bat.

An offensive lull

The Cardinals offense that produced a come-for-behind win once Kansas City went to its bullpen in the seventh inning of Game 1 could not find traction versus Royals relievers in Game 2.

Once left-handed starter Cole Ragans was removed from his start following five runs on five hits across three innings, lefty Angel Zerpa kept the Cardinals to one hit and one walk over three innings. He struck out four before giving way to righty Steven Cruz and closer Carlos Estevez, who also pitched in Game 1.

The only Cardinals to reach base against Zerpa were Lars Nootbaar and Ivan Herrera.

Nootbaar walked twice. Herrera singled. Neither advanced beyond first base.

Nootbaar’s walk in the fourth inning was followed by a double play on a grounder from Masyn Winn and a groundout by Brendan Donovan. In the sixth, Nootbaar drew a two-out walk and Winn flew out to end the inning.

Herrera singled on a line drive that had a 100.1-mph exit velocity but was left stranded on first base when both Arenado and Yohel Pozo struck out swinging.

Emptying the bench

Marmol dug into his bench in the eighth inning to try and get a spark from his offense with the right-handed Cruz still on the mound.

Lefties Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman pinch hit with Arenado on first base following the third baseman’s leadoff single. Burleson struck out on a foul tip and Gorman was called out on strikes when Cruz dotted a 98.2 mph fastball on the low outside corner.

A swinging strikeout by Victor Scott II ended the frame with Arenado on first base.

Contreras' doubleheader day

Responsible for walk-off heroics in Game 1 with game-winning single in the 10th inning of a 6-5 win, Contreras drove in the first three runs the Cardinals produced in Game 2. The three RBIs came in his first two at-bats.

Contreras lined a single to left field that scored Nootbaar from second base with one out in the first inning. When he stepped up to bat in the third, Contreras pulled a first-pitch cutter from Ragans to left field for a double that had a 110.4 mph exit velocity, per Statcast.

The two-hit showing in his 1,001st career big league gave Contreras a four-hit doubleheader performance.

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