Final Score: Phillies 11, Royals 3
The Phillies embarked on their six-game road trip up seven games on the Braves in the standings. Then, they lost two of three in Atlanta to those Braves along with their series opener in Kansas City to the Royals. Things didn’t look good. The offense wasn’t clicking.
But after back-to-back wins on Saturday and Sunday, Rob Thomson’s club concluded their challenging road trip with a 3-3 record. They also lost just one game in the standings to the Braves.
Over the first four games of the trip, the Phillies’ offense was struggling to string things together. They didn’t score more than four runs in any of those games. But over the last two days, the bats came alive, scoring 22 runs on 34 hits.
Saturday’s offensive outburst was led by J.T. Realmuto’s two-home run, seven-RBI night. Realmuto has slowly been heating up at the plate, but with Sunday a planned off day for the catcher, Garrett Stubbs was behind the plate and batting ninth. Stubbs turned in one of his best, if not his best, game as a Phillie.
Behind the dish, Stubbs caught Kolby Allard’s five-inning start. The left-hander worked himself in and out of trouble at times. Allard worked his way around back-to-back singles that started the bottom of the first. Later on, he stranded a runner at second in the fourth after a leadoff double and stranded another runner at second — this time it was the game-tying run — in the fifth inning after a one-out double. Altogether, Allard allowed two runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and no walks.
In the batter’s box, Stubbs made sure his team didn’t miss Realmuto’s bat. The left-handed hitter started his day with a triple, a bunt single and an RBI double. A home run shy of the cycle, Stubbs singled in the eighth, giving him the first four-hit game of his career. He later scored in the inning.
Stubbs came to the plate again in the ninth but wasn’t given a chance to hit a home run after being hit by a pitch. Garrett Hampson, who started the game in center field for the Royals, was on the mound. Altogether, Stubbs went 4-for-4 on Sunday, scored three runs and reached base in all five of his plate appearances. He also raised his batting average from .193 to .216.
Highlights
- After a Stubbs leadoff triple, Kyle Schwarber doubled into the right-center field gap, giving the Phillies a 1-0 lead in the third inning.
- Schwarber then advanced to third on a groundout by Bryce Harper and scored on an Alec Bohm two-out single to extend the Phillies’ lead to 2-0.
- Bobby Witt Jr. put the Royals on the board in the bottom of the third with a solo home run to center field.
- The Phillies got that run back the next half inning as Brandon Marsh scored on a bases-loaded groundout by Schwarber.
- A Maikel Garcia leadoff home run in the bottom of the fifth made it a 3-2 game.
- Four straight hits for the Phillies in the sixth inning gave them a four-run lead. Stubbs’ double was lined down to left field and plated Marsh from third.
- Schwarber then singled into right field to drive in Johan Rojas from third. Stubbs also scored on the play after Royals right fielder Dairon Blanco bobbled the ball.
- Another leadoff home run for the Royals, this one by MJ Melendez, made it a 6-3 game in the sixth.
- Harper doubled in the eighth, allowing Stubbs to score to extend the Phillies’ lead to 7-3.
- Bohm followed Harper’s double with another RBI single, giving the Phillies a 9-3 lead.
- Nick Castellanos followed that up with a homer to left field to make it an 11-3 lead.
Notes
- On top of every batter in the Phillies’ starting lineup recording a hit, Schwarber and Bohm each drove in three runs.
- The trio of Schwarber, Turner and Harper combined to go 10-for-29 over the last two games with seven RBIs.
- According to Rob Thomson, the Phillies haven’t decided on whether or not Taijuan Walker will make his next start.
- To make room for Allard on the 26-man roster, the Phillies optioned right-hander Max Lazar to Triple-A Lehigh Valley following Saturday night’s win. Lazar appeared in six games for the club, allowing no runs over 5 2/3 innings. He could be a candidate to rejoin the Phillies at some point this season, especially with rosters expanding to 28 come September.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Monday, August 26 vs. Houston Astros at Citizens Bank Park
- 6:40 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia and Fox Sports 1
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
- Spanish Radio: WTTM 1680
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