Royals score first but drop series opener at Phillies. What it means in the chase
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Royals fell 8-2 to Phillies despite scoring first, now 5.5 games out of Wild Card.
- Lorenzen allowed six runs in three innings during rough return to Philadelphia.
- Awaiting Cole Ragans' return, Royals may activate ace during upcoming homestand.
The Kansas City Royals arrived in Philadelphia looking to thwart the red-hot Phillies and keep alive their slim playoff hopes.
So far, the Phillies have proven to be a little too much to handle. After grabbing an early lead Friday evening, the Royals were unable to match their hosts’ prolific offense on Friday.
Bryce Harper belted a two-run home run as the Royals fell 8-2 at Citizens Bank Park.
Harper’s third-inning homer came on a 91.9 mph sinker thrown by Royals starter Michael Lorenzen. It was Harper’s 362nd career home run and the Phillies never looked back.
Lorenzen allowed six runs and 10 hits in three innings. That made for a bitter return to Citizens Bank Park, where he threw a no-hitter for the Phillies in 2023.
“I just couldn’t make a pitch,” Lorenzen said after Friday’s game. “That hasn’t been the case for my past few starts. I was able to make some good pitches. Today, I just didn’t have the feel. The sinker was running off the plate, and I was trying to keep it on the plate. I throw it down and in to Harper, and he hits it really well. I just feel like I didn’t have anything I could lean on tonight.”
Lorenzen allowed the leadoff man to reach in each inning he pitched Friday and dealt with traffic on the base paths the rest of the way. The Phillies tagged him for a run in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by catcher Rafael Marchan.
Lorenzen’s second time through the Philly order was no better. After Harper’s homer, Brandon Marsh tripled and scored on Otto Kemp’s RBI single. An inning later, the Phillies strung together three consecutive doubles to extend their lead.
“I’m trying to pound the (strike) zone, but my sinker just kept running off the plate, like I said,” Lorenzen noted. “Then it put me in bad counts to, you know, some good hitters that they have.”
Phillies right-handed starter Walker Buehler, meanwhile, stymied the Royals’ bats after the opening inning.
The game started out in promising fashion for Kansas City. Bobby Witt Jr. singled in the first inning and stole his 36th base of the season, then scored on Maikel Garcia’s single. The Royals’ small-ball approach was successful in putting some pressure on the Phillies’ defense ... for a while.
“I think we had a great first inning but he did a great adjustment using his fastball up,” Garcia said of Buehler. “And we chased a lot, and it’s not good for us.”
The Royals just couldn’t sustain it. They had opportunities later in the game — for instance, getting two runners aboard in the fourth — but came up empty. In that particular sequence, designated hitter Jac Caglianone flew out to end the threat.
“Any time we’re losing games, it’s frustrating,” Witt said. “We’re going through it right now, and we don’t need to be going through it. And it really sucks.”
A similar scenario occurred in the fifth inning. This time, Witt was hit by a pitch and Vinnie Pasquantino reached with a single. But Garcia grounded into a fielder’s choice and the Royals were turned away again.
The Royals’ other run came in the seventh inning on an RBI groundout by Witt.
“We’re making contact and not getting hits or not producing runs,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “It’s been a tough stretch.”
The Royals (74-74) have now lost four of five on their current road trip. And they continue to slip in the American League Wild Card race — they’re now 5 1/2 games behind the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros (79-68), who were also tied atop the AL West as the Royals-Phillies game concluded.
“The time is now,” Witt said. “We got to make it happen now.”
Cole Ragans update
The Royals are awaiting the impending return of All-Star ace pitcher Cole Ragans.
On Friday, the left-handed starter — who is recovering from a left rotator-cuff strain — made another rehab start with Triple-A Omaha. He allowed just one hit and struck out seven in 3 2/3 innings while throwing 34 of his 56 pitches for strikes.
It’s possible the Royals could bring Ragans back during their next homestand. KC will play six home games against the Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays starting Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium.
What’s next: The Royals continue their three-game series against the Phillies on Saturday. KC rookie Ryan Bergert (2-2. 3.48 ERA) will oppose fellow right-hander Taijuan Walker (4-8, 4.03 ERA) in a game that is scheduled to begin at 5:05 p.m. Central Time.
This story was originally published September 12, 2025 at 8:50 PM with the headline "Royals score first but drop series opener at Phillies. What it means in the chase."
