Last-place Royals suddenly red-hot
Phils drop opener of 10-game homestand
PHILADELPHIA — Bobby Witt Jr. homered and stole a base, Michael Massey also went deep and the Kansas City Royals won their seventh straight game with a 7-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.
Witt became the first player in MLB history with at least 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases in each of his first two seasons.
Dairon Blanco drove in three runs and stole three bases for Kansas City. The Royals are in last place in the AL Central and have the second-fewest wins in baseball but followed three-game home sweeps of the Mets and AL Central-leading Twins with a series-opening defeat at defending NL champ Philadelphia for their longest winning streak since July 2017.
Nick Castellanos homered for the Phillies, who opened a 10-game homestand. Philadelphia began play holding the second wild-card spot in a tightly bunched playoff race.
Witt hit his 20th homer of the season to tie the game at 2 in the third, driving an 85 mph cutter from Aaron Nola (9-8) into the seats in left. He also stole second after singling in the fifth, his 32nd steal, before getting caught trying to swipe third later in the inning. He is batting .531 with four homers, 15 RBIs and four steals during the Royals' winning streak.
Blanco broke a 4-all tie in the sixth with a one-out, two-run single off reliever Yunior Marte after Nola managed just one out in the inning.
Nola was charged with five runs on eight hits in 5 innings. The right-hander tied Curt Schilling for seventh all-time in Phillies starts with his 226th outing.
Jordan Lyles (3-12) gave up five runs on eight hits in 5 innings but earned the victory.