Realmuto hits a pair of 3-run homers to lead Phillies to an 11-2 win over Royals

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — J.T. Realmuto hit a pair of three-run homers and Ranger Suárez pitched five effective innings in his return from the injured list to lead the Philadelphia Phillies past the Kansas City Royals 11-2 on Saturday night.

Realmuto, who had a career-high seven RBIs, had his first multi-homer game since Sept. 14, 2022.

“The first three-run homer, everybody exhaled at that point,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “Seven RBIs in one game is pretty impressive.” After a pair of Royals’ defensive misadventures put runners at the corners to open the sixth, Realmuto hit Brady Singer’s 3-0 pitch above left-field bullpen for a 5-1 lead.

“In that situation, with runners in scoring position, I’m looking for one pitch, one location and trying not to miss it,” Realmuto said.

“I got it inside, just trying to get back in the count,” Singer said. “He made a good swing on it.”

Realmuto hit a 424-foot shot into the fountains in left-center during a five-run eighth inning and added an RBI grounder in the ninth.

Activated from the 15-day injured list to make his first start since July 22, Suárez allowed a run on four hits and a walk with six strikeouts for his first win since June 8.

“Looked like he didn’t miss really a beat,” Realmuto said. “Command of the strike zone, great. Got ahead of guys, was able to throw swing-and-miss pitches when he needed it. He’s a calming presence in this clubhouse when we know he’s on the mound.”

Thomson called the effort “Tremendous.”

“First-pitch strikes, outstanding,” he said. “Efficient. A lot of soft contact. Kept them off balance. He was super.”

After allowing a first-inning double, Suárez faced the minimum until Michael Massey’s fifth-inning double. Freddy Fermin followed with an RBI hit to right before Suárez struck out two to end the threat.

Kyle Schwarber doubled in his first two at-bats and scored the game’s first run in the third inning when Trea Turner snapped a 17 at-bat hitless streak with a single to right.

Turner beat out a chopper to short and scored on Bryce Harper’s two-out double for a 2-0 Phillies lead in the fifth.

Bryson Stott matched a career high with four hits as the Phillies matched a season high with 18 hits, including a season-best nine for extra bases.

“Our at-bats were really good tonight,” Thomson said. “The extra-base hits. Hitting the ball the other way, using the entire field. That’s what you’ve got to do. Just up and down the lineup. It was really, really good to see everybody starting to click a little bit.”

Singer (9-9) allowed five runs on 11 hits with five strikeouts in five innings.

“They beat us up pretty good,” said Royals manager Matt Quatraro. “But, we did not do the things that we can control.”

After Massey’s second double, Fermin’s seventh-inning sacrifice fly capped Kansas City’s scoring.

Bobby Witt Jr.’s 11-game hitting streak ended as the Royals were limited to five hits.

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Phillies: LHP Ranger Suárez activated from the 15-day injured list and LHP Tyler Gilbert optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

UP NEXT

Phillies LHP Kolby Allard (1-0, 3.46 ERA) opposes Royals RHP Seth Lugo (14-7, 3.02) on Sunday.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb