Luinder Avila allowed a run over five solid innings, while Bobby Witt Jr. posted two hits with two runs and Salvador Perez delivered a late two-run double as the Kansas City Royals evened their three-game set against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies with a 5-2 victory Sunday.
Pressed into service for an injury-plagued rotation since early June, Avila (4-3) didn’t give up that run until the fifth, and allowed three hits with a walk while striking out four for the Royals, who snapped a four-game skid. Ex-Phillie Matt Strahm, John Schreiber, Daniel Lynch IV and Alex Lange (eight saves) combined to allow two hits and an unearned run.
Kansas City led 3-2 in the eighth when Witt and Lane Thomas each walked, then both scored on Perez’s two-out double to the left field wall.
Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola (3-6) overcame a rocky beginning to last a season-high seven innings, giving up three runs and seven hits, while striking out seven without a walk. Bryson Stott had two of the five hits for Philadelphia, which recorded 12 during a 6-1 win Saturday.
Kansas City wasted no time getting to Nola in the first. Witt, who recorded a 30th stolen base for the fifth straight season, laced a one-out single to center and scored on Thomas’ two-out double. Michael Massey followed with an RBI single.
Philadelphia’s Gabriel Rincones doubled to lead off the third, but was stranded at third base by Avila, who yielded a triple off the right-center-field wall from Stott in the fifth. Rincones followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-1.
Kansas City regained its two-run lead in the bottom of the fifth. After successfully challenging a second called third strike of the day against him, Isaac Collins doubled to left-center and eventually scored on Jac Caglianone’s sacrifice fly to center.
In the seventh, Stott singled, then reached third via third baseman Josh Rojas’ throwing error on a force attempt at second base. Stott scored when Garrett Stubbs beat out a double-play attempt at first base.
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