Phillies Top Royals in Series Finale
The Phillies (37-46) jumped out to an early lead in the first inning this afternoon, and they would never surrender that lead as they would go on to defeat the Kansas City Royals (43-38) by a final of 7-2. Vince Velasquez went 6 strong innings for the Phillies, and was backed by 3 home runs on the way to helping the Phillies earn the series victory against the defending champs. The series victory is the team’s second straight, and the Phillies have now won 5 of their last 6 ballgames.
Cameron Rupp’s three-run homer in the bottom of the 1st inning started the scoring in this one, and it gave Velasquez some breathing room for the rest of his day and it gave the Phils a 3-0 advantage. Cody Asche continued to swing a hot bat in this one, as he hit a solo home run (his 3rd of the season) to right field in the 4th inning to give the Phillies a 4-0 lead. The only scoring for the Royals came in the 5th inning thanks to a towering two run home run into the second deck off the bat of Alex Gordon. The Phils would answer back in the bottom half of the inning however, with an RBI infield single by Maikel Franco that made it 5-2. Franco wasn’t done at the plate, as he hit a solo shot to left center field in the 8th inning to put the Phillies up 6-2. An RBI single by Freddy Galvis later in the inning capped off the scoring in this one, as the Phillies powered their way to a 7-2 victory. Franco led the way today for the Phils, recording 3 hits and driving in 2 runs.
Velasquez made his second start this afternoon after returning from the disabled list, and he continued to impress. Velasquez pitched 6 very strong innings for the Phillies, allowing just 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7 batters. Velasquez earned the win in today’s contest, as he improves to 7-2 on the year with a 3.34 ERA. With one more start before the All-Star break, Velasquez could pitch himself to a spot in his first All-Star game with another strong performance on the mound. Edubray Ramos, Hector Neris, and Jeanmar Gomez all chipped in a scoreless inning of relief this afternoon. Gomez, however, did not earn the save as he entered the game with the Phillies up five. Royals starter Yordano Ventura suffered the loss in today’s game for the Royals. Ventura only made it through 2 and 2/3 innings pitched, as he allowed 4 runs on 4 hits, including two home runs. Ventura falls to 6-6 on the season with a 5.26 ERA.
The Phillies begin a three game series at home against the Atlanta Braves tomorrow afternoon at 4:05 p.m. The Phillies have three games left on their brief six game home stand before the team heads to Colorado for a four game series before the All-Star break. Jerad Eickhoff (5-9, 3.38 ERA) will be on the mound tomorrow for the Phillies as he takes on Braves starter Joel De La Cruz (0-1, 4.50 ERA). Eickhoff and the Phillies will look to continue playing solid all-around baseball as the team looks to earn their 6th win in 7 games.
Photo by Keith Allison (via Wikimedia Commons)
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Categorized:Sixers