Royals got strong pitching performance vs. Phillies. It bodes well for the future

Luinder Avila faced one of the biggest challenges of his young career Sunday afternoon.

The Kansas City Royals right-hander matched up against the red-hot Philadelphia Phillies. And Sunday’s lineup was chock-full of All-Star talent with Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Brandon Marsh.

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It was a daunting task. However, Avila held his own against the Phillies in the Royals’ 5-2 victory at Kauffman Stadium.

“I mean, we’ve seen it, right,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “He’s done it a handful of times, it just hasn’t been every start. He sprays it sometimes. Today, he was much better. He knows he has the stuff to beat guys. It’s a matter of executing. He’s still a rookie in this league. He’s got a lot to learn. Sometimes those growing pains are hard, but you fight through it.”

Avila allowed one run on three hits and registered four strikeouts. In the first inning, Avila retired Turner, Schwarber and Harper in order. And he did so on 15 pitches as both Schwarber and Harper struck out.

Schwarber, who leads the majors with 30 home runs, swung through a 97.1 mph fastball that clipped the inside corner of the strike zone. And Harper was caught looking at a perfectly-placed 87.9 mph slider to end the inning.

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Avila bounced off the mound with confidence. He carried it throughout his start as the Phillies foursome went 0-for-8 against him.

“Respect to them, but we are in the big leagues,” Avila said via a translator. “Everybody is a star here. So I had the ball in my hand and I had to pitch and execute pitches and go get people out.”

Philadelphia (50-40) manufactured its first run in the fifth inning. Bryson Stott hit a one-out triple and Gabriel Rincones Jr. added an RBI single.

Yet Avila wasn’t rattled by the run. He retired Justin Crawford and Garrett Stubbs to finish his afternoon.

“It was about keeping their eyes looking at different spots,” Avila said. “My fastball cuts and the other one moves in on righties. And I was just trying to move pitches and keep them guessing.”

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The Royals went to their bullpen with Avila at 69 pitches. The club didn’t allow the Phillies to get a third look at him with a slim lead.

Quatraro went to left-hander Matt Strahm in the sixth. The former Phillies reliever retired his old teammates in succession. The Phillies would add an unearned run in the seventh inning off right-hander John Schreiber.

Stubbs recorded an RBI on a fielder’s choice. Stott scored after Josh Rojas’ defensive error earlier in the inning.

The Royals’ offense found a way to cover the fielding mistake. The club jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning behind two-out RBIs from Lane Thomas and Michael Massey against Phillies starter Aaron Nola.

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Then, in the fifth inning, Jac Caglianone drove home Isaac Collins with a sacrifice fly to shallow center.

Collins, who doubled to begin the frame, had a good read and scored ahead of the throw from Phillies outfielder Justin Crawford.

“A team like that, you need all the runs you can get,” Thomas said. “Because I’ve been on the reverse end of these a lot and they score runs quick. So it was nice to get out there and add a little insurance late.”

The third run was crucial. It allowed the Royals to maintain their late lead as the Phillies charged back down the stretch. A few defensive plays kept Philadelphia off the scoreboard — including nice running grabs from both Collins and Thomas.

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“The defense played well,” Quatraro said. “Collins made a nice play out there. It was a really good game for Lane defensively as well.”

And in the eighth, Royals captain Salvador Perez added key insurance runs on a two-run double; both Bobby Witt Jr. and Thomas scored.

“As you guys know, I’ve been struggling a little bit at the plate,” Perez said. “Not that I can hide it, everybody can see that. Just tried to put the ball in play, try to help my team to win. And I got a 3-1 sweeper in the strike zone. It was a little bit down, a pretty good pitch too, and I was able to hit it in the gap.”

The Royals (36-54) turned to high-leverage relievers Daniel Lynch IV and Alex Lange to finish the game. And both delivered with scoreless frames as the Royals snapped a four-game losing streak.

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Lange earned his eighth save since taking over the closer role. Both teams will now look to win the series Monday afternoon.

“Those guys have no margin for error and they did a heck of a job,” Quatraro said.

What’s next: Royals left-handed pitcher Noah Cameron (4-6, 4.95 ERA) will start Monday’s series finale against Philadelphia All-Star lefty Cristopher Sanchez (10-3, 2.00 ERA). First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. Central.