Why Kansas City Royals’ 11-2 loss to the Phillies packed an extra playoff punch

It was a tough night at the office for the Kansas City Royals.

The Royals got a look at premier MLB ace Ranger Suarez on Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium. Suarez, who returned from the 15-day injured list after lower back tightness, didn’t miss a beat in guiding the Philadelphia Phillies to an 11-2 victory.

It was a night made worse by other results around the AL Central, with a month and change to go in the regular season.

First, for Saturday’s game, Suarez allowed one run in five innings. He picked up his 11th victory by limiting the Royals to four hits and striking out six batters.

“He was tough,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “You know, he was locating like crazy. ... Any time we were looking for a fastball, he threw a change, and vise-versa. You’ve got to tip your cap to how he pitched.”

The Phillies did their damage against Royals starter Brady Singer.

Catcher J.T. Realmuto belted a three-run homer in the sixth inning as Philadelphia took a four-run lead. It was his ninth home run.

Singer dealt with a lot of traffic on the basepaths. He allowed five runs and 11 hits in five innings. Phillies trio Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and Austin Hays recorded RBIs in the victory.

“I had to compete,” Singer said. “I had some traffic throughout the whole game, but I felt like I made some good pitches when I needed to. And, obviously, they capitalized on a few of those pitches.”

Singer suffered his ninth loss. The Phillies collected 18 hits to even the three-game series.

In the eighth inning, Realmuto capped the victory with a second three-run homer. This time, he clobbered an 85.4 mph changeup off Royals reliever Chris Stratton.

Realmuto finished with a career-high seven RBIs.

“They beat us up pretty good,” Quatraro said. “But we did not do the things we can control as well as we can do them. Some of it is on us and some of it you’ve got to credit them.”

Royals designated hitter Freddy Fermin accounted for the lone offense. He hit an RBI single in the fifth inning and a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

KC dropped to 72-57.

Missed previous Royals coverage?

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Here are more notables from Saturday’s game:

Royals run themselves out of scoring chance

The Royals let a few opportunities slip against the Phillies.

In the third inning, outfielder Dairon Blanco got aboard with a leadoff walk and represented the second baserunner of the game. Kyle Isbel moved Blanco into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt.

However, Blanco wouldn’t advance further. As the lineup flipped over, third baseman Maikel Garcia hit a ground ball weakly back to Suarez. Blanco failed to advance on contact and remained at second.

The Royals now faced a two-out situation. Blanco still represented the tying run as KC star Bobby Witt Jr. stepped to the plate.

Witt wouldn’t get a chance to drive the runner in. Instead, Blanco attempted to steal third base and was thrown out to end the inning.

“That’s completely on me,” Quatraro said. “I need to put the red light on there and I didn’t. We need to let Bobby hit there, but that’s my responsibility.”

KC defense faltered too ...

Later, the Royals struggled in the field.

There was a misplay in the sixth inning where second baseman Michael Massey and right fielder Hunter Renfroe allowed a ball to drop between them.

“(Renfroe) and I were going at it and no one called it,” Massey said. “And then I called it late. Felt like I heard something out there and he didn’t end up calling it, actually. So that’s my fault. Got to do a better job listening for him.”

Later, Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott lined a single that took a funny hop in front of Massey. Both plays led to Realmuto’s home run.

“That’s what good teams do right,” Massey said. “They take advantage of your mistakes and, you know, make you pay for it.”

Postseason update

The Royals lost ground in the American League Central on Saturday night.

Both the Cleveland Guardians (74-55) and Minnesota Twins (72-57) won their respective games. As a result, the Royals fell two games behind the Guardians for first place in the American League Central.

On Monday, the Royals and Guardians will begin a critical four-game series at Progressive Field. The Twins are now tied with the Royals in the divisional standings. Minnesota defeated the St. Louis Cardinals at home.

In the AL Wild Card picture, the Royals slid to the final playoff spot. They are 3.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox (67-61) after both teams lost on Saturday.

What’s next on the KC Royals schedule?

The Royals finish their six-game homestand against the Phillies. KC ace Seth Lugo will start on Sunday afternoon.

Lugo is tied for the MLB lead with 14 wins this season. He owns a 3.04 ERA in 13 home starts at Kauffman Stadium.

The Phillies are expected to start left-hander Kolby Allard, who has a 3.46 ERA in three appearances (two starts) this year.