Kansas City Royals trade blows with Philadelphia Phillies early, fade late in 8-4 loss
The Kansas City Royals were on the wrong end of a slugfest against the Philadelphia Phillies Sunday afternoon.
The Royals came out swinging against Phillies starter Taijuan Walker. KC tallied three runs and five hits in the first inning, with Michael Massey, Matt Beaty and Drew Waters each driving in runs.
But the Phillies countered with three home runs. Bryson Stott tied the game with a three-run homer in the first inning and Nick Castellanos broke it open with a two-run shot in the fifth.
“We know they can drive the ball out of the ballpark and they did that today,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “They made up grown quickly.”
The Phillies cruised to an 8-4 victory and took the three-game series at Citizens Bank Park.
Phillies starter Taijuan Walker picked up his 13th win. He allowed four runs in seven innings of work. Royals starter Zack Greinke fell to 1-12 this season.
Greinke pitched four innings, allowing five runs and striking out four. He threw 59 pitches and generated 12 called strikes and seven whiffs.
“The offense did good for us and (we) played great defense,” Greinke said. “Located good and I guess stuff wasn’t sharp enough, as the other team was just better than me. A couple pitches were hit for homers. I liked the execution and they hit them.”
The Royals (36-77) begin a four-game series at the Boston Red Sox Monday night.
Missed previous games of the series?
Game 1: Bobby Witt Jr. makes MLB history; Royals win 7-5 over Phillies
Game 2: Royals lose 9-6 to Phillies, snapping seven-game winning streak
Here are more notables from Sunday’s game:
Salvador Perez exits with hand injury
The Royals made a significant lineup change in the second inning. Perez, who started at catcher, was subbed out after being hit by a pitch.
Perez departed with a left-hand contusion. Quatraro said X-rays taken after the game were negative.
The Royals’ captain was hit in the hand by a 93 mph fastball. The Royals attended to Perez at first base as he tried to flex his left hand. He remained in the game at that point, but the Royals made a lineup switch in the bottom of the inning.
Freddy Fermin, who has been red-hot lately and started Sunday’s game at designated hitter, moved behind the plate. This forced the Royals to relinquish the DH spot in the lineup.
Perez batted third. The Royals used a pinch-hitter in that spot for the remainder of the game, in spite of Greinke’s desire to get an at-bat.
“I was excited to do it but didn’t get to,” Greinke said. “I thought Taijuan might give me a couple of pitches to hit. I haven’t swung the bat very much. It probably wouldn’t have been that good.”
MJ Melendez hits ninth home run
The Royals and Phillies traded leads early. In the second inning, Royals outfielder MJ Melendez hit a solo home run and gave his team a 4-3 advantage.
Melendez drilled a 91.6 mph sinker into the left-field seats. The homer traveled 387 feet and had a 102.7 mph exit velocity.
Melendez’s most recent homer had been July 26 against the Cleveland Guardians. He has now recorded a hit in 16 of his last 21 games since the All-Star break.
“There’s been a couple (adjustments),” Melendez said in reference to his swing. “Just really trying to find a way to keep my hands through the ball and not over-rotate as much. ... Sometimes I get too over-rotational and just trying to minimize that.”
Royals combine for defensive highlight
The Royals’ infield duo of Massey and Maikel Garcia teamed up to negate a base hit from Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott.
In the third inning, Massey made a diving stop behind second base. He flipped the ball from his glove to Garcia, who threw a strike to first baseman Matt Beaty. Stott was thrown out despite hustling down the line.
The play continued a string of recent Royals defensive highlights.
“I’m really happy for Massey because he put a ton of work in, especially, going to his right like that,” Quatraro said. “What an incredible play. I haven’t been able to go back and watch it, but I don’t know how he was able to get the ball out of his glove that quickly and accurately from where he was.”
Later, Waters recorded his fourth outfield assist. He threw out Schwarber at third base in the fifth inning.
What’s next: The Royals begin a four-game series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Monday. Cole Ragans will draw the start against Boston’s Brayan Bello.
This story was originally published August 6, 2023 at 3:10 PM.
