Kansas
Why Kansas City Royals’ 11-2 loss to the Phillies packed an extra playoff punch
It was a tough night at the office for the Kansas City Royals.
The Royals got a look at premier MLB ace Ranger Suarez on Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium. Suarez, who returned from the 15-day injured list after lower back tightness, didn’t miss a beat in guiding the Philadelphia Phillies to an 11-2 victory.
It was a night made worse by other results around the AL Central, with a month and change to go in the regular season.
First, for Saturday’s game, Suarez allowed one run in five innings. He picked up his 11th victory by limiting the Royals to four hits and striking out six batters.
“He was tough,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “You know, he was locating like crazy. … Any time we were looking for a fastball, he threw a change, and vise-versa. You’ve got to tip your cap to how he pitched.”
The Phillies did their damage against Royals starter Brady Singer.
Catcher J.T. Realmuto belted a three-run homer in the sixth inning as Philadelphia took a four-run lead. It was his ninth home run.
Singer dealt with a lot of traffic on the basepaths. He allowed five runs and 11 hits in five innings. Phillies trio Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and Austin Hays recorded RBIs in the victory.
“I had to compete,” Singer said. “I had some traffic throughout the whole game, but I felt like I made some good pitches when I needed to. And, obviously, they capitalized on a few of those pitches.”
Singer suffered his ninth loss. The Phillies collected 18 hits to even the three-game series.
In the eighth inning, Realmuto capped the victory with a second three-run homer. This time, he clobbered an 85.4 mph changeup off Royals reliever Chris Stratton.
Realmuto finished with a career-high seven RBIs.
“They beat us up pretty good,” Quatraro said. “But we did not do the things we can control as well as we can do them. Some of it is on us and some of it you’ve got to credit them.”
Royals designated hitter Freddy Fermin accounted for the lone offense. He hit an RBI single in the fifth inning and a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
KC dropped to 72-57.
Missed previous Royals coverage?
Game 1: Royals begin difficult 20-game stretch with home win
Personal Best: Salvador Perez, Hunter Renfroe reach career milestones against Phillies
Here are more notables from Saturday’s game:
Royals run themselves out of scoring chance
The Royals let a few opportunities slip against the Phillies.
In the third inning, outfielder Dairon Blanco got aboard with a leadoff walk and represented the second baserunner of the game. Kyle Isbel moved Blanco into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt.
However, Blanco wouldn’t advance further. As the lineup flipped over, third baseman Maikel Garcia hit a ground ball weakly back to Suarez. Blanco failed to advance on contact and remained at second.
The Royals now faced a two-out situation. Blanco still represented the tying run as KC star Bobby Witt Jr. stepped to the plate.
Witt wouldn’t get a chance to drive the runner in. Instead, Blanco attempted to steal third base and was thrown out to end the inning.
“That’s completely on me,” Quatraro said. “I need to put the red light on there and I didn’t. We need to let Bobby hit there, but that’s my responsibility.”
KC defense faltered too …
Later, the Royals struggled in the field.
There was a misplay in the sixth inning where second baseman Michael Massey and right fielder Hunter Renfroe allowed a ball to drop between them.
“(Renfroe) and I were going at it and no one called it,” Massey said. “And then I called it late. Felt like I heard something out there and he didn’t end up calling it, actually. So that’s my fault. Got to do a better job listening for him.”
Later, Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott lined a single that took a funny hop in front of Massey. Both plays led to Realmuto’s home run.
“That’s what good teams do right,” Massey said. “They take advantage of your mistakes and, you know, make you pay for it.”
Postseason update
The Royals lost ground in the American League Central on Saturday night.
Both the Cleveland Guardians (74-55) and Minnesota Twins (72-57) won their respective games. As a result, the Royals fell two games behind the Guardians for first place in the American League Central.
On Monday, the Royals and Guardians will begin a critical four-game series at Progressive Field. The Twins are now tied with the Royals in the divisional standings. Minnesota defeated the St. Louis Cardinals at home.
In the AL Wild Card picture, the Royals slid to the final playoff spot. They are 3.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox (67-61) after both teams lost on Saturday.
What’s next on the KC Royals schedule?
The Royals finish their six-game homestand against the Phillies. KC ace Seth Lugo will start on Sunday afternoon.
Lugo is tied for the MLB lead with 14 wins this season. He owns a 3.04 ERA in 13 home starts at Kauffman Stadium.
The Phillies are expected to start left-hander Kolby Allard, who has a 3.46 ERA in three appearances (two starts) this year.
Kansas
Kansas court sides with Stormont Vail in Medicaid payment dispute
Stormont Vail Healthcare is in a legal battle with the state government, alleging the Medicaid program was wrong to refuse payment for the hospitalization of a pregnant patient with complications.
At issue is a disagreement between the Topeka hospital and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment over whether inpatient health care services were medically necessary for the Medicaid patient’s last two weeks of pregnancy.
The Kansas Court of Appeals did not resolve that dispute, but it did side with Stormont Vail in a May 8 decision. The unanimous three-judge panel reversed a decision by Shawnee County District Court Judge Thomas Luedke and vacated an order from KDHE’s State Appeals Committee. The matter now goes back to the appeals committee for reconsideration.
The appellate panel was comprised of Judges Jacy Hurst, Thomas Malone and Stephen Hill, which heard oral arguments on Aug. 5. Hurst wrote the court’s opinion.
The lawsuit stems from a 2018 case of a pregnant patient, who is not named in appellate court documents. She was 28 years old at the time and had an intellectual disability among other complications, including rapid weight loss caused by hyperemesis gravidarum.
The woman was originally admitted at Newman Regional Health in Emporia before she was transferred to Stormont Vail. Part of the hospitalization during her third trimester was covered.
But the final two weeks were not because Sunflower Health Plan, one of the managed care organizations in the state’s privatized Medicaid program known as KanCare, refused to reimburse for the patient’s continued hospitalization through the day the child was born via cesarean section.
“We are here because the Kansas Medicaid program has wrongfully refused to pay for some of an inpatient hospitalization while a Medicaid beneficiary was at Stormont Vail,” said Amanda Wilwert, an attorney for the hospital, during oral arguments. “Stormont believes the inpatient care was medically necessary as defined by the Kansas Medicaid regulations.”
Court records and oral arguments show the state expected Stormont Vail to look into having a home health agency care for the patient in Emporia instead of continued hospitalization — even though home health generally does not take care of pregnant patients and her doctors believed the expectant mother was not stable enough to discharge.
“The way it’s supposed to work,” said Darren Sharp, an attorney representing KDHE, “is the managed care organization, in this case Sunflower Health, on behalf of KDHE reviews the medical records, asks about the appropriate level of care and whether there’s any other interventions that would be more cost effective or appropriate depending on the level of or depending on the patient’s records and the patient’s status.”
Sharp argued medical records showed the patients was getting better because of total parenteral nutrition, or TPN.
“This is when a tube, a PICC, is inserted and your minerals and your electrolytes and all of your nutrition is then intravenously provided,” Sharp said.
He said the treatment “was eliminating her vomiting, her diarrhea, she had no fever, her glucose levels were stabilized.”
In their ruling, the judges indicated the KDHE appeals committee primarily cared about the cost saving of using home health versus hospitalization while disregarding the treating physician for insufficient reasons and ignoring evidence on potential benefits or harms to the patient.
But the judges declined to resolve the dispute. Rather, unless the decision is appealed to the Kansas Supreme Court, the matter goes back to the KDHE administrative process.
There, the agency’s appeals committee must reconsider the case consistent with the Court of Appeal’s ruling. The published decision sets new precedent interpreting state laws and regulations on the Medicaid program.
“While this court provides no opinion on whether the disputed inpatient healthcare services met the definition of medical necessity,” Hurst wrote, “the record shows that some of the (appeals committee’s) factual findings were not supported by the record as a whole and that the (appeals committee) inaccurately applied the law when it failed to consider (the patient’s) individual characteristics and assess the harms and benefits of the healthcare intervention.
“In making a medical necessity determination, the reviewing agency must make an individualized determination based on the record as a whole.”
Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jalatidd@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.
Kansas
Kansas Lottery Pick 3, 2 By 2 winning numbers for May 7, 2026
The Kansas Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 7, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 7 drawing
Midday: 6-2-2
Evening: 0-5-9
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning 2 By 2 numbers from May 7 drawing
Red Balls: 07-15, White Balls: 02-16
Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 7 drawing
05-08-21-44-48, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Kansas Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at select Kansas Lottery offices.
By mail, send a winner claim form and your signed lottery ticket to:
Kansas Lottery Headquarters
128 N Kansas Avenue
Topeka, KS 66603-3638
(785) 296-5700
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a claim form, and deliver the form along with your signed lottery ticket to Kansas Lottery headquarters. 128 N Kansas Avenue, Topeka, KS 66603-3638, (785) 296-5700. Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Kansas Lottery.
When are the Kansas Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3 Midday/Evening: 1:10 p.m. and 9:10 p.m. CT daily.
- 2 By 2: 9:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Super Kansas Cash: 9:10 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Kansas editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas, becomes sister city to Concepción, Argentina, ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026
KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland, including Liberty. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.
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Kansas City, Kansas, is now a sister city to Concepción, in the Tucumán province of Argentina.
The connection that carries deep personal meaning for members of the Kansas City area’s Argentinian community, with less than six weeks until Lionel Messi and their national team play at Kansas City Stadium (GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium).
Kansas City, Kansas, becomes sister city to Concepción, Argentina, ahead of World Cup
The official Sister Cities Agreement was signed Wednesday at Sporting Park, in a ceremony that also served as the kickoff of a broader cultural and economic initiative connecting Argentina and Kansas.
Federico Carmona has lived in the United States for more than two decades. He spent Wednesday afternoon cheering and smiling.
“This is my dream,” Carmona said.
For Carmona, the moment was personal — a merging of the two places he calls home.
KSHB/ Brian Luton
“This is a blessing,” Carmona said.
He continued, “Argentina is my heart. I was born in Argentina. I have so much passion for soccer. I used to play, my kids play. We never thought that Argentina was going to be in Kansas City. So that was a big, big surprise for us.”
Claudia Luna West, chair of the Sister Cities Association and a native of Concepción, Tucumán, was one of the driving forces behind the partnership.
“It means the world to me,” Luna West said.
KSHB/ Brian Luton
She described the pairing of the two cities as a natural collaboration — like the ingredients of a perfect recipe coming together.
“Everything collaborates to be this great thing,” Luna West said.
That recipe metaphor extended to food. The event featured the announcement of a partnership between Kansas BBQ Empanadas and Jack Stack BBQ — a culinary symbol of the two cultures meeting.
“Now, empanadas aren’t going to be just an ethnic food. They’re going to be a landmark of Kansas,” Luna West said.
Mayor/CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and KCK, Christal Watson, said the designation reflects the city’s diversity and its ability to connect with the world.
KSHB
“I think it’s important that we set a global stage on how diverse we are and how beautifully, wonderfully made we are with all the different cultures,” Watson said.
Watson said shared experiences — including food — are what bring communities together.
KSHB
“Food is a common link. Those are the things that get us engaged… those are the things that help us grow and be a better community overall,” Watson said. “We already have a flavor going on.”
Jake Reid, president and CEO of Sporting Kansas City, said the timing of the sister city announcement — with the FIFA World Cup 2026 approaching — felt right.
KSHB/ Brian Luton
“We’ve been planning this for so long. I think to have it on the doorstep now and be probably a month out is becoming very real and exciting,” Reid said. “They’re meant to be from… kind of everything we’ve got going on right now, for sure.”
For Carmona, the day was a long time coming.
“We can’t wait for all this to happen,” Carmona said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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