The Philadelphia Phillies spent their Fourth of July doing the two things that have carried their season: getting a dominant start and hitting the ball out of the park. Jesús Luzardo struck out nine over six innings without a walk, and three different Phillies homered in a 6-1 win over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
Luzardo (7-4) allowed one run on four hits, and the Associated Press noted he struck out six through the first three innings — five of them with his sweeper — while allowing only an infield single. This is what he looks like when the command shows up: after a brutal opening stretch, his ERA is down to 3.75 through 103.1 innings, and his 125 strikeouts trail only Cristopher Sánchez on the staff. He outpitched Michael Wacha, Kansas City’s All-Star selection, who gave up four runs and three homers over six.
Alec Bohm had the loudest night at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double and his 11th home run. J.T. Realmuto added a two-run shot, his sixth, and rookie Gabriel Rincones Jr. went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and his second homer of the season. Kyle Schwarber did not join the home run parade for once, but he reached base four times on three hits and a walk. He sits at 30 home runs with a .943 OPS, and pitchers keep having to deal with him anyway.
The bullpen finished what Luzardo started. Jonathan Bowlan, Orion Kerkering and Tim Mayza covered the final three innings without allowing a run, striking out six between them.
The win moved Philadelphia to 50-39 through Saturday, three back of Atlanta in the NL East and holding the league’s top wild-card position. You good, Phillies. The series continues Sunday in Kansas City.
