ST. LOUIS (AP) — Rookie Stephen Piscotty was scratched from the St. Louis Cardinals lineup Thursday, due to a stiff neck. Dan Johnson replaced Piscotty playing first base and batted eighth against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night. Piscotty was 2 for 8 with a double in two starts, the first appearances of his career since his contract was purchased from Triple-A Memphis.

Johnson, whose contract was purchased from Memphis earlier this month, was 2 for 10 in six games. Mark Reynolds, who has gotten the bulk of playing time at first base, was out of the lineup. He entered the game 2 for 14 in his career against Royals starter Chris Young.