Royals 4, Cardinals 2: Jeff Francoeur lined a leadoff ninth-inning homer to tie the game, sparking a three-run Royals rally, as visiting Kansas City won a marathon, rain-delayed affair that didn’t end until 3:14 a.m. local time.

The game began an hour late and was stopped for four hours, 32 minutes in the ninth, just after Kansas City went on top on Eric Hosmer's two-run double. Umpires refused to call it a night because this was the last scheduled meeting between the teams, and reverting to the score after eight innings would have wiped out the Royals’ comeback.

Francoeur’s blast came off Mitchell Boggs (0-3), who was pitching because Cardinals closer Edward Mujica was unavailable after saving four straight games. Boggs left after walking Alex Gordon, but reliever Victor Marte could not contain the damage. With the bases loaded and no outs, Hosmer bounced a tiebreaking, two-run double over first baseman Allen Craig.

St. Louis’ top pitching prospect, Michael Wacha, was as good as advertised in his debut, allowing one run and two hits over seven innings. Wacha, who shot to the majors from college in under a year, retired the first 13 batters he faced, finished with six strikeouts and no walks and threw 67 strikes out of 93 pitches.

The Cards, who gave Wacha a first-inning lead on RBI hits by Craig and David Freese, lost for just the second time in nine games. Royals reliever Louis Coleman (1-0) picked up the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings, and Greg Holland earned his eighth save with a perfect ninth.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Royals beat St. Louis for the first time in the last seven meetings. … Cardinals LF Matt Holliday stole his first base of the season, and 96th of his career. … Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie allowed two earned runs on eight hits over six innings.