Royals vs. Cardinals start time: Rain delay and weather updates from St. Louis

The Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals were scheduled to face off at 2:15 p.m. ET from Busch Stadium on Saturday. However, the second game of this rivalry series has been put temporarily on pause due to inclement weather.

Storms have been moving through the St. Louis area for much of the day, and unfortunately we're still dealing with the last of it early in the afternoon. But with the weather clearing, the game now has a new start time!

Royals vs. Cardinals rain delay updates: Awaiting a new start time

• Game: Royals vs. Cardinals
• Date: May 16, 2026
• Scheduled start time: 2:15 p.m. ET
• New start time: 3 p.m. ET

UPDATE: The Cardinals have set a new start time of approximately 3 p.m., roughly a 45-minute delay.

The Cardinals announced the delay on social media around 45 minutes prior to scheduled first pitch time, with a promise to provide updates when possible. Just when play will resume remains to be seen, though. Everything depends on the weather, and how quickly it moves through the St. Louis area.

Reds vs. Pirates weather report: When will the rain stop in Pittsburgh?

Thankfully, the biggest storm system has already passed St. Louis by and is traveling on north. But there's a second, smaller system following behind it, one that should still be dumping a decent amount of rain over Busch Stadium around 2:15 p.m. ET — hence the delay. The good news is that, according to Accuweather's radar, the system in question isn't particularly big, and should have moved through by 2:45 or 3.

From there, forecasts for the remainder of the day look pretty clear, meaning the game should be able to get underway without too much of a delay and we should be able to get nine innings in without further interruption.

Royals vs. Cardinals matchup and lineups

If Friday night's series opener is any indication, we're in for a barn-burner this afternoon. The Cardinals walked off with a dramatic comeback win thanks to another homer from Jordan Walker and some extra-innings heroics from pinch-hitter extraordinaire Yohel Pozo. St. Louis is now at 26-18 overall on the season, still just third in the NL Central but in possession of the second Wild Card spot and far ahead of where most expected this ostensibly rebuilding team to be at this point in the year.

The Royals, meanwhile, are still looking for signs of life, mired in last place in the AL Central at 19-26 and hoping to avoid a second straight disappointing season. Kansas City's struggling offense has still yet to get on track, and the pitching hasn't been as strong as it was during their playoff run in 2024.

Royals lineup

1. Maikel Garcia, 3B
2. Bobby Witt Jr., SS
3. Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B
4. Salvador Perez, DH
5. Carter Jensen, C
6. Jac Caglianone, RF
7. Isaac Collins, LF
8. Michael Massey, 2B
9. Kyle Isbel, CF

P: Noah Cameron

Cardinals lineup

1. Masyn Winn, SS
2. Ivan Herrera, DH
3. Jordan Walker, RF
4. Alec Burleson, 1B
5. Jose Fermín, 3B
6. Thomas Saggese, 2B
7. Nathan Church, LF
8. Pedro Pagés, C
9. Victor Scott II, CF

P: Kyle Leahy

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