KANSAS CITY http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-justin-turner-jersey , Mo. (AP) — At this point, it’s almost as if the St. Louis Cardinals expect Matt Carpenter to hit a home run every day.Carpenter connected for the sixth time in seven games, Austin Gomber pitched five scoreless innings and the Cardinals defeated the Kansas City Royals 7-0 Friday night.Carpenter tops the National League with 32 home runs, a .600 slugging percentage and 65 extra-base hits. He has reached base in a career-high 28 straight games with 16 homers and 27 RBIs in that span.“It’s fun to watch, that’s for sure,” Cardinals interim manager Mike Shildt said. “Clearly, he’s a special player, a special guy. I’m just happy for him. He’s always looking to grow from the previous version of Matt Carpenter.”Carpenter sent a fastball from Burch Smith into the right-field fountains for a two-out drive with Harrison Bader aboard. He extended his career high for homers as the Cardinals scored five times in the second.“Just having Harrison on base in front of me, just his speed alone you’ve got to figure bought me maybe an extra fastball or so,” Carpenter said. “It’s a big part of it.”Paul DeJong led off the inning with his 11th home run. Bader and Jose Martinez, who had three hits, contributed RBI singles to set up Carpenter.Bader homered in the sixth and Martinez had an RBI double in the seventh.Gomber (2-0) allowed four hits, walked one Sandy Koufax Jersey , hit a batter and struck out three in his third major league start.“It makes my job a lot easier, especially when my game plan is attack and throw strikes,” Gomber said of the big lead.Daniel Poncedeleon allowed two hits over three innings to notch his first big league save.Gomber worked out of a bases-loaded jam in third, which Adalberto Mondesi led off with a triple. After retiring the next two batters, Gomber walked Rosell Herrera and hit Salvador Perez with a pitch. Hunter Dozier flied out to end the inning.“We couldn’t capitalize on it,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.Smith (1-4) gave up five runs on six hits, a walk and a hit batter in 1 2/3 innings. In six starts, Smith has a 9.67 ERA, allowing 24 earned runs in 22 1/3 innings.“I wasn’t commanding any pitches,” Smith said. “I just didn’t have anything working and they were capitalizing on mistakes. They’re good hitters. I just didn’t have it.”The Royals stranded 11 runners and went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position. Kansas City has lost seven of eight.NO GORDONRoyals LF Alex Gordon, who hit .366 with six multihit games in the past 11 games he had started, was not in the lineup. Yost said he wanted to give Gordon two straight days off with the club idle Thursday.TRAINER’S ROOMCardinals: RF Yairo Munoz left in the sixth inning with a sprained right wrist after swinging at a pitch. Adolis Garcia replaced Munoz and singled in the eighth for his first big league hit. … OF Tyler O’Neill (right groin inflammation) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis. He went 2-for-4 with a two-run double and struck out twice at Oklahoma City. … RHP John Brebbia (right forearm tightness) was placed on the disabled list retroactive to Monday. … RHP Adam Wainwright (right elbow inflammation) threw batting practice at the club’s complex in Jupiter, Florida. “All reports of that were favorable http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-yasiel-puig-jersey ,” Shildt said. “We’ll see how he recovers.” He said the team is evaluating whether Wainwright throws another batting practice or begins a minor league rehab assignment.Royals: OF Brian Gordon (left groin strain) ran the bases as his final hurdle before coming off the disabled list. He said he is at about 80 percent.UP NEXTCardinals: Rookie RHP Jack Flaherty is 5-6 with a 3.27 ERA in 18 starts.Royals: LHP Danny Duffy will be facing the Cardinals for the first time since June 27, 2016. DETROIT (AP) — Victor Martinez will be remembered as one of the best line-drive hitters of the last 15 years, but his career ended in a different way.Batting in the first inning of his final major league game, Martinez beat out an infield chopper and was immediately removed for a pinch runner.“I think that’s the perfect way to get my last hit,” the longtime Tigers designated hitter said. “I had to work for it, and I had to grind it out. That’s what my career has been about.”Martinez, one of baseball’s slowest runners, said he even considered bunting against the Royals‘ shift.“A single is a single, right? It doesn’t matter how you get it,” he said. “It helps the team win.”The Tigers made sure Martinez went out a winner. Mikie Mahtook’s two-run homer in the eighth inning broke a 3-3 tie and the Tigers held on for a 5-4 victory.“You could tell these guys were fired up tonight,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. “They have so much respect for Victor, and they wanted to get him a win.”Niko Goodrum led off the eighth with his third hit of the game, a single off Jason Hammel (3-14). Mahtook then lined Hammel’s 1-0 slider over the left-field fence for his ninth homer.“Hammel was our most rested arm Hyun-Jin Ryu Jersey , and I liked the matchup,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He’s just been hanging his slider and guys aren’t missing it.”Martinez is done as a player, but Gardenhire stressed he isn’t letting the 16-year veteran head to his cattle ranch quite yet.“I’m not done with him,” he said. “I told him he’s going to be sitting with me in the dugout, helping me manage these last seven games.”The Royals joined the celebration after Martinez’s first-inning single. As he left the field to a standing ovation, fellow Venezuelans Salvador Perez and Alcides Escobar came out of the dugout to embrace the five-time All-Star.“I wanted to say goodbye,” Perez said. “He’s taught me a lot of good things, both inside and outside of baseball — how to care for my family and all that. He makes me want to work harder and play until I’m 39.”Tigers starter Jordan Zimmermann allowed two runs on three hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out five.“It was tough warming up, because I was watching Victor’s ceremony on the scoreboard,” Zimmermann said. “I really wanted to go out there and pitch a good game, and I was able to do that, but today is all about him.”Joe Jimenez (5-4) allowed the Royals to tie it in the eighth but earned the win.Shane Greene allowed a solo homer to Perez before finishing the ninth for his 31st save in 37 opportunities.Jake Junis entered the game with a 4-0 record and 1.76 ERA against the Tigers this season. He gave up three runs on eight hits, a walk and three wild pitches in six innings.“They got some infield hits in the first couple innings Jose Fernandez Jersey , and it really cost me some pitches,” he said. “I thought it ended up being an accomplishment just to get through six innings.”Whit Merrifield drove the game’s first pitch to right-center. JaCoby Jones made a diving try but the ball popped out of his glove when he hit the ground, giving Merrifield a triple. Adalberto Mondesi followed with a sacrifice fly.The Tigers tied the game in the bottom of the inning on Goodrum’s RBI single, and he added an RBI double in the third.Alex Gordon tied it at 2-2 with a fourth-inning homer. Two wild pitches by Junis allowed Jones to score the go-ahead run in the bottom of the inning.Brett Phillips singled off Jimenez with one out in the eighth and scored the tying run on Merrifield’s double down the left-field line.TRAINER’S ROOMTigers: Infielders Jeimer Candelario (back) and Goodrum (quadriceps) returned to the lineup. Candelario played third, while Goodrum started at second before moving to first after Martinez’s departure.KOZMA RARITYPete Kozma tripled in the eighth inning — his first three-base hit in the majors since Sept. 21, 2012. Kozma’s first triple as a Tiger put him one ahead of Martinez, who finished his Detroit career with zero triples in 969 games.THANKS, VICTORMartinez was honored in a pregame ceremony that included a video tribute and gifts for his family presented by the team’s other Latin American players, including Miguel Cabrera, who had been away from the team while rehabbing his biceps injury.There were also presents from Martinez’s teammates and the Tigers organization. In honor of his future as a full-time cattle rancher, the gifts included handmade cowboy boots and a saddle emblazoned with the Tigers logo.After taking time to compose himself, Martinez thanked the fans in a brief speech. He played first base for the first time since June 1, 2016 http://www.marlinsfanproshop.com/authentic-martin-prado-jersey , ending a 342-game streak of only serving as a hitter.Martinez also spoke to the fans in a postgame interview, waiting for “V-Mart” chants to die down.“There were times that they booed me, but that was because I sucked,” he said. “I hated myself when I sucked, too. The fans here pushed me to be a better player and a better person, and I can’t thank them enough for that.”UP NEXTThe teams finish their four-game series Sunday afternoon in Detroit’s final home game of the season. Brad Keller (8-6, 3.17 ERA) will start for the Royals against Daniel Norris (0-5, 5.71).