Philadelphia Phillies at Kansas City Royals

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

Nola (3-5, 6.00 ERA) got the ball for Philadelphia at 2:00 PM CT trying to steady a rotation that's been bleeding runs all month — he'd allowed 7 earned in just 4.1 innings his last time out against Pittsburgh. Across the diamond, Kansas City turned to Luinder Avila (3-3, 5.05 ERA), coming off a 4-inning, 4-run non-decision against the White Sox that wasn't much cleaner.

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FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Phillies(50-39)

WLWWL

2

-1.5+125-122o9.5-117

Royals(35-54)

LLLLW

5

+1.5-127+122u9.5+115

Best BetPhillies -143

Postgame

Missed — Kansas City's lineup woke up at the right time and the Royals won outright 5-2, the bear case in full.

Pregame

Philadelphia went off at -126, and that number reflected the gap between two rosters — a club 11 games over .500 against a team scoring fewer runs than anyone in baseball. Nola's ugly ERA was the obvious risk, but Kansas City's lineup had done little all season to make anybody pay for it. That equation blew up in the most Kansas City way possible.

Both rosters are banged up in different ways. Philadelphia is without Johan Rojas and Adolis Garcia, both done for the year after surgery, thinning an already shaky outfield. Kansas City's problem is deeper — Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic are both out long-term after elbow procedures, Alec Marsh is shelved too, and the Royals just lost Stephen Kolek to the bereavement list days before first pitch. None of that stopped Philadelphia from opening as the clear favorite on the road.

Aaron Nola

(3-7)·5.68 ERA

Jun 29 vs Pirates

L

4.1IP

7ER

5K

2BB

86P

07/05 Lineup

Luinder Avila

(4-3)·5.08 ERA

Jun 28 @ White Sox

ND

4.0IP

4ER

4K

3BB

86P

07/05 Lineup

That price made sense on paper — a 50-39 club against a team that's been scoring at the bottom of the league all season. Philadelphia had just taken the series opener 6-1 behind a Jesus Luzardo gem, and the smart move looked like riding that momentum straight through the finale. Kansas City had other ideas.

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

(12)

• 10-Day-ILMaikel Garcia (3B) — Garcia (hand) is rehabbing in Kansas City but has yet to resume swinging and will be re-evaluated during the All-Star break, MLB.com reports.07/05
• 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
• bereavementStephen Kolek (SP) — The Royals placed Kolek (personal) on the Family Medical Emergency List on Saturday.07/05
• 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

The Royals jumped out 2-0 in the first and made it hold up. Philadelphia trimmed it to 2-1 in the 5th, but Kansas City answered right back in the same frame. The Phillies clawed within one again in the 7th, only for the Royals to slam the door with a 2-run 8th that iced it, 5-2. Kansas City out-hit Philadelphia 8-5 and got the win despite an error, while Nola's line only adds to a season that's already spiraling.

Philadelphia Phillies

(50-39)

Jul 5W@ Royals6-1

Jul 2Lvs Pirates1-6

Jul 1Wvs Pirates10-6

Jun 30Wvs Pirates8-0

Jun 29Lvs Pirates7-11

Kansas City Royals

(35-54)

Jul 5Lvs Phillies1-6

Jul 2Lvs Rays2-5

Jul 1Lvs Rays0-4

Jun 30Lvs Rays4-10

Jun 28W@ White Sox5-4

For Kansas City, it's a single win in the middle of a lost season — but after getting outscored badly over the previous week, snapping a 4-game skid against a good team matters for a clubhouse that needed something to point to. For Philadelphia, it's a reminder that a 50-39 record and a deep lineup can still get erased by a rotation problem that isn't going away. Nola said it himself recently: he's never had a stretch like this in his career, and Sunday didn't do anything to change that math.