KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Interstat) — The St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals conclude their four-game interleague series Sunday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 2:15 p.m. under cloudy skies and a temperature of 83 degrees.

The Cardinals (40-34) enter as a -1.5 favorite after dropping the opening two games of the series, including a 6-5 loss Friday. St. Louis is projected to start right-hander Stephen Kolok (4-1, 3.18 ERA), though the club also listed right-hander Dustin May (5-6, 4.22 ERA) as a probable pitcher earlier in the week. The Cardinals have not announced a final decision on their starter.

Kansas City (32-45) has won the first two games of the set, including a 14-6 rout Thursday. The Royals counter with right-hander Seth Lugo (5-4, 3.87 ERA), who earned the win Friday against the Cardinals. Lugo worked six innings, allowing one earned run on five hits with five strikeouts. Over his past five starts, Lugo has a 3.48 ERA and has completed at least five innings in four of those outings.

A key player for the Cardinals is reliever Matt Svanson, who has posted seven consecutive scoreless appearances spanning 9 2/3 innings. In Friday’s loss, Svanson threw two scoreless innings with one strikeout. For the Royals, first baseman Jac Caglianone is swinging a hot bat; he homered and drove in two runs Friday.

St. Louis dropped three of four games on its road trip entering Sunday, with the only win coming against Minnesota on June 13. The Cardinals have relied heavily on their bullpen, which owns a 3.42 ERA over the past 10 games. Kansas City, meanwhile, has won five of its past eight contests and has averaged 6.5 runs over its last four games at Kauffman Stadium.

The projected total for the game is 9 runs, with the Interstat game simulator favoring St. Louis 5-4. The Cardinals have won four of the past seven meetings with the Royals dating to last season.

Following Sunday’s game, the Cardinals return home for a six-game homestand against Arizona and Miami. The Royals travel to Tampa Bay for a four-game series beginning Monday.