ST. LOUIS

Matt Quatraro made a swift decision as he called upon left-handed reliever Angel Zerpa from the bullpen.

Zerpa needed to provide length during his outing. Royals starter Cole Ragans was knocked out of the game, allowing five earned runs in three innings.

It was his first start following his return from the 15-day injured list. The Royals had already taxed their bullpen in Game 1 of Thursday’s doubleheader . Zerpa had a fresh arm and needed to step up.

And that’s what he did.

Zerpa tossed three shutout innings in the Royals’ 7-5 victory in Game 2 over the Cardinals. He allowed one hit and walked a batter while striking out four.

“Always prepared for all the innings I’m going to get,” Zerpa said via a translator. “If it’s a short one, it’s a short one. If it’s a long one,

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