July 06, 2026
Denny Medley/Imagn Images
The Phillies' bats were cold, even though Kansas City was blisteringly hot this weekend.
The Phillies dropped two of three in the Midwest to the Royals, thanks partially to an absent offense, and partially Cris Sánchez' worst start as a major league pitcher.
As a result, a promising gem from Jesús Luzardo on Saturday gave way to back-to-back losses on Sunday and Monday, with Monday's 15-1 setback as brutally ugly as they come. The loss was so bad that it put the Phillies into the negative in run differential for the season (after entering Game 2 of the series at +10).
Before the Phils continue their extended road trip in Cincinnati Tuesday, here's a look at some winners and losers from the series:
Aaron Nola (finally)
The last time Nola, who is making just around $24.5 million in each of the next five seasons — including this one — pitched at least seven innings in a game was the final start he made in 2025. It took nearly 10 months, but he did it again Sunday afternoon, allowing three runs while scattering seven hits. He was efficient and looked like his old self. If this is Nola turning the corner, it'll be a huge boost. His ERA dropped from 6.04 to 5.87 after the performance.
Unfortunately, he lost the game. The recently high-powered Phils offense was neutralized by Luinder Avila, old friend Matt Strahm and three other Royals relievers who held the Phils to just two runs and five hits in a 5-2 loss.
Jesús Luzardo
Luzardo didn't need much run support when he took the mound Saturday — the first game of an off three-game set stretching from Saturday to Monday — he limited Kansas City to a lone run in his six innings in a breezy 6-1 victory. Make that back-to-back one-run outings for Luzardo, who is pitching better and better as the season progresses.
Way back on April 15, the lefty was mashed for nine runs on 12 hits and saw his early season ERA balloon to 7.94. In his 14 following starts, extending to Saturday, he has a 2.57 ERA and the Phillies are 11-3 in games he has started.
Bryson Stott
The performance of the team overall in this series doesn't warrant much praise for the offense, but Stott was a rare standout. The second baseman had two hits Monday, two Sunday (including a triple) and one on Saturday. He's 11-for-28 over his last seven games and is nearing the .250 mark for the season after an extremely slow start offensively.
Cris Sánchez
By the third inning in his turn on the mound, Sánchez — who was either a consensus pick for first or second in the NL Cy Young race entering Monday — had already tied a career high in earned runs allowed, with seven of them on seven surrendered hits. And then a Tyler Tolbert double plated an eighth run, setting a new career-worst. He would wind up with nine runs allowed, with six of the runs allowed coming with two outs. He also gave up three home runs. He didn't get out of the fourth inning.
The ace is expected to start the All-Star Game next week in South Philly, and the schedule should actually give him one more start to shake off this awful performance. But for those trying to argue he's more worthy of the honor of starting the festivities in the Midsummer Classic than Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski, this stinker will make it a tough case to make.
The front of the Phillies bullpen
Oftentimes when a reliever is inserted into a game the Phillies are trailing, there are still significant stakes. Seth Johnson and Kyle Backhus couldn't meet them Sunday, when they were asked to keep the Phillies in it after Nola's solid performance was not supported offensively, with Philly behind 3-2. After Johnson walked a pair of Royals, Backhus surrendered a two-run double to Salvador Perez, putting the Phils behind a much less manageable three.
The trend continued Monday too, as the Royals scored a run in every inning they came to the plate, tagging Tanner Banks, Lou Trivino and Backhus for runs as well. Garrett Stubbs also got into the mix, giving up four hits and two runs in super duper mop up duty.
The bullpen offers very few answers behind first time All-Star Johan Duran and Orion Kerkering. It's sort of under the radar as the Phillies keep winning, but they badly need a few more guys they can rely on in high-pressure spots.
Hitting with RISP
Though it probably wouldn't have made a difference Monday, based on the shellacking Sánchez took, the Phillies stranded 15 runners on base and were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Despite collecting seven walks, they only scored one run. On the night prior, also a loss, the Phillies were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
Obviously the hitting has been a strength for the Phils during their recent hot stretch, which seems to have to a close in Kansas City, but afternoons like the last two are undoubtedly troubling.
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