Royals 3, Cardinals 2: Salvador Perez capped a three-run sixth inning with an RBI single as host Kansas City rallied to snap its four-game home skid.

Norichika Aoki and Eric Hosmer also recorded run-scoring hits for the Royals, who posted three wins in the four-game, home-and-home series. Yordano Ventura (3-5) returned from an elbow injury to limit St. Louis to two runs and seven hits in six innings and Greg Holland struck out three in the ninth after yielding a leadoff single for his 17th save in 18 opportunities.

Jon Jay went 2-for-4 and scored twice for the Cardinals, who have lost four of their last five contests. Peter Bourjos and Matt Carpenter each drove in a run while Michael Wacha (4-4) allowed three runs and seven hits in six frames en route to his first loss in six starts.

St. Louis took the lead in the second inning as Jay hit a two-out single and scored on Bourjos' triple. Jay struck again in the fourth, delivering another two-out single and coming home on Carpenter's base hit two batters later for a 2-0 advantage.

Wacha made it stand until the sixth, when the Royals staged a three-run rally to move ahead. Aoki followed Alcides Escobar's leadoff double with one of his own to halve the deficit and scored the tying run on a single by Hosmer, who crossed the plate on Perez's base hit later in the frame to put Kansas City in front.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The victory by Ventura, who missed one turn with discomfort in his elbow, ended his six-start winless streak and was his first in seven home outings this season (1-4). ... The Royals have won seven of their last eight meetings with National League teams. ... Wacha has surrendered three runs or fewer in all 13 of his starts this season.