Royals' Skid Hits Nine Against Surging Phillies
Phillies bid for series sweep at Kauffman as Kansas City's slump deepens
The Royals' skid hit eight losses in nine games Saturday, falling 6-1 to the Phillies behind nine strikeouts from Jesus Luzardo. J.T. Realmuto, Gabriel Rincones Jr. and Alec Bohm all homered for Philadelphia. Kansas City went just 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position, part of a miserable .118 clip in those spots during the slide.
The math is getting grim in Kansas City. At 35-54, the Royals sit fifth in the AL Central and are fading fast from any postseason math worth doing. Sunday's series finale against a Phillies club looking to complete the sweep only raises the stakes.
Luinder Avila draws the ball for Kansas City and brings a 5.40 ERA into the outing, a number that balloons to 12.79 at home. He faces Aaron Nola and a Phillies lineup that has feasted on Royals pitching all series. Philadelphia improved to 50-39 with Saturday's win and sits second in the NL East.
Bobby Witt Jr. remains the one bright spot, hitting .290 with 29 stolen bases, but he cannot fix this alone. Kansas City's front office has to be watching this stretch closely with the trade deadline approaching, and a ninth loss in ten games would only add urgency to whatever roster calls come next.