Everyone hits but Stubbs steals the show as Phillies secure series win over Royals – NBC Sports Philadelphia

KANSAS CITY — A .500 road trip doesn’t sound like much… but given the way Philadelphia looked at the start of the week, it certainly counts as a win.

They followed up their most complete game of the trip with an 11-3 win over the Royals on Sunday at Kauffman Stadium.

It was just the club’s third win in a series since the All-Star break (Dodgers, Nationals). The team has won 6-4 in its last 10 games, and with today’s loss to the Nationals, its lead in the National League East is back to six games.

Most importantly, the Phillies appear to have gained some momentum in the midst of a 13-game series against teams currently in the postseason.

The turnover in hitting from the Braves to the Royals was night and day. Against the Braves, Philadelphia struck out 32, scored six runs, and hit no home runs in the three-game series. Against Kansas City, they struck out 24, but scored 26 runs, including three home runs.

While Philadelphia rarely sees the Royals, they are familiar with starting pitcher Seth Lugo. Lugo, who spent most of his career with the Mets, pitched in his 35th game against Philadelphia on Sunday. The team pitched just once and allowed six runs, five earned on 11 hits.

After a night in which he scored a career-high seven runs and hit two home runs, JT Ralmotto had a scheduled day off. In his place, Garrett Stubbs made his first start in a week and kept things moving for the Phillies.

Honestly, he was one step away from the end of the cycle.

In his first at-bat of the day, Stubbs hit a single down the right field line, his first triple of the season. Moments later, he rushed to the field when Kyle Schwarber hit a double on the first pitch to center field.

It was Stubbs’ best game of the season. The backup center fielder hit a career-high, was on base five times and scored one run.

“It seemed very smart to start Stubby today,” manager Rob Thompson said in a jovial tone after the game. “You have to take credit where you can.”

“It was great. It was the triple that got us going, we hit two big doubles down the left field line. Yeah, it was really great today.”

As for Stubbs, he couldn’t have been happier with his performance:

“It’s the best feeling you can ever have. Obviously it helped us score 11 points, gave our pitchers some breathing room and go into the last few innings, which is always good when you’re trying to win a series against a really good team.”

Colby Allard made his first appearance for Philadelphia in 17 days. After allowing back-to-back singles from Michael Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. in the start, the 27-year-old settled down enough to give Philadelphia five solid innings, allowing eight hits and striking out five. His two hits allowed were solo home runs from Witt Jr. in the third and Garcia in the fifth.

For most of the series, the pitching staff was able to contain the Royals’ shortstop, who recorded three hits in the three games, with his home run being the only hit.

Alec Bohm, the only Philly player in the starting lineup Saturday who did not record a hit, scored his first point in six games. Schwarber, now at third with Bryce Harper out, scored on Bohm’s single to right fielder Dayron Blanco.

The team scored several runs in the sixth inning, which began with a single from Brandon Marsh to right. He reached base safely four times, with two hits and two walks.

Nick Castellanos was the final dagger of the day, scoring twice to give the Phillies an 11-game winning streak.

With 16 strikeouts on the day, every Philadelphia starter contributed at least one hit.

On deck: Philadelphia heads to the city for a crucial home opener that will set the tone for the season heading into September. The team will first host the Western Conference-leading Astros in a three-game series, then the Braves come to town for their final game of the season in a four-game series.

The Astros have not announced their starting pitchers for the series, but Philadelphia will start with Zack Wheeler (12-6, 2.73 ERA), Aaron Nola (11-6, 3.45 ERA) and Christopher Sanchez (9-9, 3.51 ERA). That also means Wheeler and Nola will start against the Braves.

Both right-handers have performed well against Atlanta this season. While Wheeler has not recorded a win, he has posted a 1.50 ERA and 13 strikeouts in two games.

Nola has never missed a series against the Braves. This will be his 37th appearance against their division rival. His last start (1-0) was promising, with a 3.97 ERA and 13 strikeouts.

In a series that could shake up the division, the Phillies will need both players to be at their best.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcast | Youtube music | Spotify | Stitcher | Art 19 | RSS | Watch on YouTube