Philadelphia Phillies at Kansas City Royals

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
PHI	0	0	0	3	0	1	1	1	0	6	12	0
KC	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	1

Jesús Luzardo (6-4, 3.75 ERA) got the ball for Philadelphia looking to keep the good vibes rolling after a sweep of Pittsburgh, while Michael Wacha (5-5, 3.45) started for a Royals club trying to snap out of a brutal stretch. First pitch went off at 7:10 PM CT at Kauffman Stadium, and it didn't take long for the Phillies to make their intentions known.

Show fees

FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Phillies(49-39)

LWWLW

6

-1.5+108-147o9.5+117

Royals(35-53)

LLLWL

1

+1.5-108+144u9.5-122

Best BetPhillies -158

Postgame

Phillies won outright 6-1 exactly as the price suggested, with Kansas City's thin pitching staff unable to hold the line.

Pregame

We took the Phillies at -140 and there was real value there given how thin Kansas City's pitching staff has gotten. Philadelphia's lineup depth and recent offensive surge made this closer to a coin flip in name only, and the price reflected a Royals team that's lost the plot lately.

Kansas City walked into this one already banged up. Salvador Perez was out of the lineup with elbow soreness, Stephen Kolek landed on the paternity list hours before first pitch, and the Royals' rotation depth has been in freefall for weeks with Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic both shut down long-term. That's a lot of holes to plug against a Phillies team that had just outscored Pittsburgh 24-6 over its final two games of that series.

Jesús Luzardo

(8-4)·3.51 ERA

Jun 28 @ Mets

ND

5.0IP

1ER

6K

3BB

96P

07/04 Lineup

Michael Wacha

(5-7)·3.77 ERA

Jun 27 @ White Sox

ND

7.2IP

1ER

7K

1BB

105P

07/04 Lineup

None of it mattered much once the game started. Philadelphia's lineup did its usual thing — grinding at-bats, working the count, making a shaky pitching staff pay — and the Royals simply didn't have the answers to slow it down.

The Phillies broke it open with a 3-run 4th and never let up, tacking on single runs in the 6th, 7th and 8th while racking up 12 hits against Kansas City pitching. The Royals managed just 5 hits and a lone run off Luzardo and the Phillies' bullpen, with an error compounding an already ugly night at the plate.

Philadelphia Phillies

(49-39)

Jul 2Lvs Pirates1-6

Jul 1Wvs Pirates10-6

Jun 30Wvs Pirates8-0

Jun 29Lvs Pirates7-11

Jun 28W@ Mets5-4

Kansas City Royals

(35-53)

Jul 2Lvs Rays2-5

Jul 1Lvs Rays0-4

Jun 30Lvs Rays4-10

Jun 28W@ White Sox5-4

Jun 27L@ White Sox1-2

It fit the pattern for both sides. Philadelphia has made a habit of bouncing back with authority, and Kansas City has made a habit of the opposite — Saturday's loss extended a stretch that's seen the Royals drop 6 of their last 7 games.

Philadelphia Phillies

(3)

• 15-Day-ILBrad Keller (RP) — Keller (forearm) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday.07/03
• 60-Day-ILJohan Rojas (CF) — Rojas (suspension) underwent surgery Friday to repair the UCL in his right elbow and will face an expected recovery timeline of 6-to-8 months, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.06/25
• 60-Day-ILAdolis Garcia (RF) — The Phillies announced that Garcia underwent successful surgery Wednesday to repair a torn right lat, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.06/24

Kansas City Royals

(13)

• Day-To-DaySalvador Perez (C) — Perez (elbow) is not in the Royals' starting lineup against the Phillies on Saturday.07/04
• PaternityStephen Kolek (SP) — The Royals placed Kolek (personal) on the Family Medical Emergency List on Saturday.07/04
• 10-Day-ILKyle Isbel (CF) — Isbel (foot) will continue his rehab in Arizona to begin July with the hope of embarking on a rehab assignment before the All-Star break, MLB.com reports.07/01
• 10-Day-ILVinnie Pasquantino (1B) — Pasquantino (hand) will continue his rehab in Arizona to begin July with the hope of embarking on a rehab assignment before the All-Star break, MLB.com reports.07/01
• 10-Day-ILMaikel Garcia (3B) — The Royals placed Garcia on the 10-day injured list Tuesday due to a left hand muscle strain.06/23
• 15-Day-ILConnor Seabold (RP) — The Royals placed Seabold on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a right lat strain.07/01
• 15-Day-ILNick Mears (RP) — Mears (shoulder) threw a bullpen Saturday, MLB.com reports.06/29
• 60-Day-ILKris Bubic (SP) — Bubic (elbow/shoulder) received a cortisone injection Thursday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.07/02
• 60-Day-ILCole Ragans (SP) — Ragans underwent UCL repair surgery on his left elbow Wednesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.07/02
• 60-Day-ILCarlos Estevez (RP) — Estevez (shoulder) received an injection Wednesday and will be shut down for the rest of the week before being re-evaluated, MLB.com reports.07/02
• 60-Day-ILJonathan India (2B) — no06/04
• 60-Day-ILJames McArthur (RP) — McArthur (elbow) underwent surgery Friday to help combat continued soreness and inflammation, MLB.com reports.05/25
• 60-Day-ILAlec Marsh (SP) — The Royals placed Marsh (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08

With Ragans, Bubic, Estevez, McArthur and Marsh all already lost for extended stretches, Kansas City's pitching margin for error is basically zero, and it showed again on a night meant for celebration in Kansas City.