KANSAS CITY — A .500 road trip doesn’t seem like much … but given how the Phillies looked at the beginning of the week, it’s certainly considered a victory.
They followed up their most complete game of the trip with a 11-3 feat over the Royals Sunday at Kauffman Stadium.
It is just the third series win for the club since the All-Star break (Dodgers, Nationals). They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and with a Braves loss today against the Nationals, their lead in the NL East jumps back to six games.
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More importantly, it seems the Phillies have built some momentum in the midst of their 13-game stretch against teams that currently hold a spot in the postseason.
The transformation at the plate from the Braves series to the Royals has been night and day. Against the Braves, the Phillies struck out 32 times, scored six runs and had no home runs in the three-game series. In Kansas City, they struck out 24 times but scored 26 runs with three home runs.
While the Phillies rarely see the Royals, they were certainly familiar with starting pitcher Seth Lugo. Lugo, who spent the majority of his career with the Mets, made his 35th appearance against the Phillies on Sunday. He only retired the side in order once and allowed six runs, five earned on 11 hits.
After a night where he had a single-game career-high seven runs batted in and two home runs, J.T. Realmuto had a scheduled off day. In his place, Garrett Stubbs made his first start in a week and kept things rolling for the Phillies’ catchers.
Philadelphia Phillies
Seriously, he was a home run shy of the cycle.
His first at-bat of the day, Stubbs hit one down the right field line that landed him his first triple of the season. He trotted home just moments later when Kyle Schwarber lined a first-pitch double to center field.
It was easily Stubbs' best outing of the season. The backup catcher had a career-high four-hit game, was on base five times and drove in a run.
"I looked pretty smart putting Stubby in there today," manager Rob Thomson said in a lighthearted tone following the game. "You gotta take credit when you can.
"He was great. The triple got us going, big two-strike double down the left field line. Yeah, he was really good today."
As for Stubbs, he couldn't have been more ecstatic about his performance:
"It's about as good as you could ever feel. Obviously it helped us get to 11 runs, gives our pitcher some breathing room and kind of cruise toward the last few innings, which is always good when you're trying to win a series against a really good team."
Kolby Allard had his first start in 17 days for the Phillies. After giving up back-to-back singles to Maikel Garcia and Bobby Whitt Jr. to start the game, the 27-year-old settled in enough to give the Phillies five solid innings, where he gave up eight hits and struck out five. His two runs allowed were solo home runs from Bobby Witt Jr. in the third and Garcia in the fifth.
The pitching staff, for the majority of the series, kept the Royals’ shortstop contained. He had three hits through the three games and his home run was the only run batted in.
Alec Bohm, who was the lone Phillie in Saturday’s starting lineup without a hit, drove in his first run in six games. Schwarber, now on third after Bryce Harper grounded out, scored on Bohm’s single to right fielder Dairon Blanco.
The club strung together a few runs in the sixth inning, which started with a Brandon Marsh single to right. He made it on base safely four times, with two hits and two walks.
Nick Castellanos had the final dagger of the day, with a two-run home run to give the Phillies consecutive 11-run games.
With their 16 hits on the day, every Phillies starter contributed with a least one hit.
On Deck: The Phillies head home to open a crucial homestand that will set the tone as the calendar turns to September. They’ll first host the AL West-leading Astros for a three-game series and then the Braves come to town for their final matchup of the season in a four-game slate.
The Astros have not named their starters for the series but the Phillies are set to run out the top of their rotation with Zack Wheeler (12-6, 2.73 ERA), Aaron Nola (11-6, 3.45 ERA) and Cristopher Sanchez (9-9, 3.51 ERA). This also aligns Wheeler and Nola to start against the Braves.
Both right-handed pitchers have had quality appearances against Atlanta this season. While Wheeler is 0-1, he has a 1.50 ERA and 13 strikeouts in his two appearances.
Nola never fails to miss a series against the Braves. This would mark his 37th appearance against the division rival. His last two starts (1-0) have been promising, posting a 3.97 ERA with 13 strikeouts.
For a series that could drastically shake the division, the Phillies will need the pair at the top of their game.
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