ST. LOUIS -- David Freese waited a long time for this curtain call. He was impressed with the patience of St. Louis fans. Freese hit a grand slam for his first homer of the season, and the Cardinals used a five-run first inning to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6 on Friday night. "Thats the biggest thing about this, you want to join the fun," Freese said. "Fortunately enough, I havent done squat this year and weve got a heck of a record." The Brewers made it close on a pair of three-run homers by Aramis Ramirez off Jaime Garcia before losing for the 13th time in 15 games. The bottom four spots in the lineup were a combined 0 for 15. "Nice to see Rammy get a couple," Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke said. "I think hes been swinging the ball really well and hasnt had much to show for it." The Cardinals had five hits and a walk while batting around against Wily Peralta (3-4) in the first, but the right-hander was still in the game when Garcia (5-2) was chased with one out in the sixth. Milwaukee got one hit in 3 2-3 innings against three relievers, with Edward Mujica working the ninth for his 12th save in 12 chances. "The bullpen did a great job, they picked me up basically," Garcia said. "I didnt do my job." Ryan Braun reached on a leadoff single in the eighth, but was caught stealing for a double play after Trevor Rosenthal struck out Ramirez. Carlos Gomez then popped up a bunt to end the inning. Freese entered with a .209 average, four RBIs and a .287 on-base percentage, struggling to find his stroke after starting the season on the 15-day disabled list with a back injury from chasing a foul ball in spring training. He batted .293 last year with 20 homers and 79 RBIs, the first time he played more than 100 games in the majors. Freese didnt think failing to produce in his hometown made it any tougher, mentioning numerous helpful suggestions. He thought the best advice came from those who told him to just be himself and forget about his numbers. "You hear the crowd when it went out, that shows how much they care about their team," Freese said. "Its cool to come out here every day. That curtain call was definitely probably more special than the home run." Peralta said Freese hit a changeup that was supposed to be down and away but hung over the middle. The Brewers thought Peralta had some bad luck earlier in the inning. "We hit three ground balls in the first inning, theyre outs," Roenicke said. "They hit ground balls, theyre hits, so you get a little frustrated. "I dont want to say thats why he made the bad pitch to Freese, he just got one up and Freese did a nice job of hitting." Matt Holliday had two hits and two RBIs for St. Louis, which has won 13 of 16 and leads the National League at 27-14. Allen Craig had three hits and a walk and leadoff man Matt Carpenter had three hits and scored twice. Ramirez lined a pitch into left-field stands in the fourth for just his second hit in four starts, and cleared the wall in centre in the sixth for his third homer of the season. It was his 26th career multihomer game and left him with 32 homers against the Cardinals, tied with Adam Dunn for second-most among active players. The first inning has been by far the Brewers best this season. They had outscored opponents 35-9, the most runs in the majors and fewest allowed. Peralta appeared to have a good shot at escaping the inning down just a run when he struck out Jon Jay for the second out. Jay entered with a .440 career average against Milwaukee, and Freese had been in a season-long slump with just one extra-base hit and one RBI this month. Freese then hammered a 1-1 pitch to straightaway centre with a stroke reminiscent of the 2011 post-season when he was World Series and NL championship series MVP. Freese made a curtain call responding to a sellout crowd, but struck out his last two trips against Peralta. Jay got an RBI single in his second trip to make it 6-0 in the third. Garcia retired nine in a row on 28 pitches before Norichika Aoki slapped a single to open the fourth. Braun walked with one out and Ramirez cut the deficit in half, lining a 3-1 pitch into the left-field seats. Garcia was charged with six runs and six hits in 5 1-3 innings. NOTES: Roenicke called his first team meeting of the year Thursday after getting outscored 10-2 in consecutive losses at Pittsburgh. ... Roenicke plans to rest Ramirez every third game or so for now while the veteran, who returned in early May from a left knee sprain that knocked him out a month, regains strength and form. "I dont think I cant say that in a week from now, I can leave him out there and not worry about. I know Im not there," Roenicke said before the game. 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"I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No. Wholesale Air Max . PAUL, Minn. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The World Series champion Royals are stuck in no-mans land, close enough to contention to keep fighting yet far enough behind the race that going all-in at the trade deadline would be a fools gambit.The Royals entered the All-Star break at 45-43, seven games out of first place in the AL Central. They are also on the outside for the final wild-card spot, leaving general manager Dayton Moore and manager Ned Yost in the unenviable position of deciding what direction they should guide the franchise.It hasnt been early for a while, Yost said, dismissing the overused cliche of its still early.But again, you have to stay focused on today, he said. You have to forget about yesterday. Thats the hard part about this game. But weve been doing it for so long, thats how we approach it.The Royals season so far has been one of wild mood swings, soaring through a five-game win streak, then scuffling through eight straight losses, only to reel off five more wins in quick succession.The net result is their current position, stuck squarely between contender and pretender, unsure whether to unload players in the jumpstart of a rebuild or acquire the few pieces lacking from a title team.Things were much more defined a year ago.Kansas City was rolling through the hot summer months to a comfortable lead in the division, and it was apparent by mid-July that a postseason run was approaching. Moore began dealing away coveted prospects to get pitcher Johnny Cueto, second baseman Ben Zobrist and other pieces to round out his team.Both those guys were crucial to Kansas City beating the New York Mets to win the World Series.The Royals certainly have places that need shoring up, starting with a pitching rotation that has already seen Chris Young shuttled off to the bullpen. The Royals likely need at least one front-of-the-rotation starter if they plan to contend, even though Yost is confident there are sufficient in-house caandidates.ddddddddddddInjuries have also left Kansas City depleted across the lineup.Left fielder Alex Gordon missed a big chunk of the season with a wrist injury and has struggled since his return. Third baseman Mike Moustakas is done for the season with an ACL injury. Center fielder Lorenzo Cain is also on the disabled list after straining his hamstring trying to leg out a single.Finding someone who could play multiple positions -- Zobrist, anyone? -- would be ideal.Then again, the Royals have so far cobbled together a lineup with young call-ups such as Whit Merrifield and Brett Eibner that has allowed them to hang around. Merrifield was hitting over .300 for much of the season while Eibner has flashed some of the power that Kansas City has lacked for years.I wouldnt say theres urgency, said Merrifield, whose fine play at second base allowed the Royals to jettison underperforming veteran Omar Infante. Theres a lot of baseball left. A lot of stuff can happen between now and September and October. A lot of games to be played, a lot of ups and downs.The second half begins with three games in Detroit, then comes a crucial nine-game homestand against the Indians, Rangers and Angels that will ultimately decide whether the Royals will contend in August.If they go into another prolonged slump, the Royals could begin to replenish their depleted farm system -- especially with pitching prospects -- with an eye toward contending in a couple more years.Not that the Royals are thinking that way, even if the front office must consider it. They firmly believe they have the talent to reach the playoffs for a third straight year, or even make it to the World Series for a third straight year, and that one big run is enough for them to climb back into the race.Time is running out to put that run together. ' ' '