Arrieta, Phillies offense struggle in Friday night loss to Royals

The Philadelphia Phillies opened up a stretch of 17 games in 17 days Friday evening in Kansas City. Given that the Phillies will see the Milwaukee Brewers (twice) and the Chicago Cubs during this stretch, it’s imperative they take care of a team like the Royals, who entered the evening tied for the fewest amount of wins in the American League.

Instead, Gabe Kapler’s squad didn’t get off to a good start in their weekend series with the Royals Friday.

Adalberto Mondesi – who is the son of 1994 National League Rookie of the Year Raul Mondesi – was the first Royal to reach base Friday evening, as Arrieta walked him with one out in the bottom of the first inning. Mondesi didn’t stay on base for very long, as three-time All-Star Alex Gordon hit a 429-foot home run to plate Mondesi and give the Royals an early 2-0 lead:

110.6 MPH off the bat.
And he knew it. ?#AlwaysRoyal pic.twitter.com/L063V5Ju6M

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) May 11, 2019

The Phillies did cut the Royals lead in half in the top of the fourth inning, with an Odubel Herrera ground out bringing Bryce Harper home.

But while Arrieta was able to strand a runner at third base in the bottom of the fourth inning, Gordon tagged him again in the fifth inning, this time for a 401-foot solo shot:

1⃣5⃣0⃣0⃣ WITH AUTHORITY.#AlwaysRoyal pic.twitter.com/UgNlEBmNLf

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) May 11, 2019

The top of the sixth inning, as Phillies Nation‘s Drew Rhodes put it, was one of the uglier moments of the 2019 season.

Jean Segura and Harper got the inning started on a good note, with back-to-back opposite-field singles. That forced Royals manager Ned Yost to pull starter Homer Bailey, replacing him with Scott Barlow. Barlow immediately struck out Rhys Hoskins, before walking J.T. Realmuto to load the bases. Barlow, though, rallied to strike out Herrera and Cesar Hernandez to end the inning, with neither of the duo putting together particularly impressive at-bats. The Phillies would finish the night 0-8 with runners in scoring position.

Often in sports, when you miss out on a major opportunity to take control of the game, your opponent instead takes control of the game. After the Phillies stranded three runners on base in the top of the sixth, Jorge Soler hit a towering 438-foot home run to lead off the home half of the sixth:

.@solerpower12 should take the ball
⚾️
　 ＼(´･_･＼)
　 　(　 　)
　 　く く

And put it
in the fountains

　( ´･_･`)
　 (＼　 )＼
　 　 ＞ ＞ ⛲️#AlwaysRoyal pic.twitter.com/gSLvDp24s3

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) May 11, 2019

 To add insult to injury, Barlow stayed in the game for the Royals in the top of the seventh, ultimately striking out Maikel Franco, Nick Williams and Andrew McCutchen in order.

Hector Neris, who did struggle with his control Friday, allowed an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth, giving the Royals the 5-1 lead they would ultimately win by.

Phillies Nuggets Player of the Game: Alex Gordon

Quietly, Alex Gordon is one of the greatest players in Royals franchise history. He added to his legacy Friday evening, smashing two home runs, the second of which was the 1,500 hit of his major league career.

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance

In five innings on Friday, Jake Arrieta allowed seven hits, three home runs and four earned runs. Despite limiting the Washington Nationals to two runs over six innings in his last start, Arrieta has a 6.11 ERA over his last three starts. Those three starts have come since he was critical of how prepared (or unprepared) the Phillies were to face the New York Mets in their 5-1 loss on April 22.

After a strong start to the 2019 season, Arrieta’s ERA has climbed to 3.78 after nine starts.

Homer Bailey, meanwhile, was very strong through five innings, as he limited the Phillies to just one run on two hits. Bailey, a first-round pick in 2004, was pulled in the top of the sixth after allowing two singles to lead off the inning. As noted earlier, the Phillies weren’t able to capitalize on their strong start to the sixth inning.

Next Game

• Saturday May 11, 2019 vs. Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium
• 7:15 p.m. ET
• NBC Sports Philadelphia, MLB Network (out of market only)
• SportsRadio 94 WIP

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