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.
One of the top prospects in the 2027 boys’ high school basketball recruiting class recently trimmed his list of suitors, and the Kansas Jayhawks find themselves firmly in the mix.
KU is one of eight schools to make the cut for 2027 five-star small forward Demarcus Henry, according to On3 National Basketball Reporter Joe Tipton. His list of eight includes some of the best programs in the country: Kansas, Ohio State, Kentucky, North Carolina, BYU, Arkansas, UConn, and Louisville.
The 6-foot-7 Charlotte, North Carolina, native is one of the best players in the 2027 class. He’s currently ranked as the No. 5 player overall and the No. 1 player at his position, according to the most recent On3.com 2027 player rankings.
As a junior this past year at Compass Prep High School in Chandler, Arizona, Henry averaged 15.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game as he helped lead his team to a 25-3 record.
He followed that up with an impressive performance at the NBPA Top 100 camp this summer, leading all attendees in scoring (20.0 points per game) and rebounding (9.3 rebounds per game). He was also a member of the 2026 USA Men’s U18 National Team that earned a silver medal at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup earlier this summer in León, Mexico.
When speaking about his game, Henry mentions his versatility and how he’s developed over the past year.
“I’m just very versatile,” Henry told Rivals in a previous interview. “I can play one through four and just help my teammates and hit shots and play defense. I watch a lot of KD (Kevin Durant) and Paul George. How they score it, and how they could shoot off the dribble, shoot off the catch. I’ve gotten tougher and just more aggressive when I transferred AZ Compass and just being able to get downhill, I feel like that’s really developed for me.”
When asked about what he’s looking for in a potential home at the college level, Henry says he wants to be challenged and grow his game for the NBA.
“What I’m looking for in school is someone that just pushes me to be better,” Henry said. “Help me grow into the person I know I can be and someone who will help me reach my potential. I want to play for a coach that will hold me accountable and help me make me uncomfortable and keep growing and keep getting better and just help me reach the NBA, which is my ultimate goal.”
Early Contenders
Right now the early favorite to land Henry may be the basketball program with the least amount of notoriety of the final eight schools – and that is Ohio State.
Henry has a lot of familial ties to the university as his older brother Chris Henry Jr. is a five-star incoming freshman wide receiver for the Buckeyes football team this year, and his older sister Seini Henry is a talented women’s basketball player at Ohio State.
He’s already taken an unofficial visit to the school and has also taken an unofficial visit to BYU. Thus far, they are the only schools to have received a visit.
Follow
The Royals have been linked to shortstop Jacob Lombard out of Gulliver Prep (Fla.) — if he makes it that far — left-hander Gio Rojas out of Stoneman Douglas (Fla.) HS, outfielder Eric Booth Jr. out of Oak Grove (Fla.) HS, UC Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora and Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress, among others. Maybe they shake up the board and go with Huntington Beach (Calif.) HS left-hander/outfielder Jacob Grindlinger, who is just 17 years old after reclassifying for this year’s Draft and has legitimate upside as a two-way player. Grindlinger is No. 16 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 250 Draft prospects list and is rising on boards as Draft day nears.
Prep players usually mean a lot of upside but with more risk, while college players bring a higher floor and more experience — often with a chance to move quickly. Over the full Draft, the Royals are going to value both.
“There’s a good mix of high school and college,” Bridges said. “To tell you the truth, our range is pretty broad. There’s a clear-cut four players, five players in this Draft, and then believe it or not, where we’re picking, you can go a number of different directions. So we have a pretty good balance of what we’re looking at, both high school and college.”
The Kansas Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 7, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from July 7 drawing
02-31-35-36-63, Mega Ball: 12
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from July 7 drawing
Midday: 4-2-9
Evening: 2-7-9
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning 2 By 2 numbers from July 7 drawing
Red Balls: 07-26, White Balls: 12-18
Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 7 drawing
27-43-48-49-50, Bonus: 02
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.
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