Royals face the Phillies leading series 1-0

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Saturday, August 24, 2024

Philadelphia Phillies (74-54, first in the NL East) vs. Kansas City Royals (72-56, second in the AL Central)

Kansas City, Missouri; Saturday, 7:10 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Phillies: Ranger Suarez (0-0); Royals: Brady Singer (9-8, 3.18 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 136 strikeouts)

: LINE Royals -139, Phillies +117; over/under is 9 1/2 runs

BOTTOM LINE: The Kansas City Royals lead 1-0 in a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Kansas City has gone 41-26 in home games and 72-56 overall. The Royals have the seventh-best team slugging percentage in MLB play at .422.

Philadelphia is 74-54 overall and 32-31 on the road. The Phillies have a 60-6 record in games when they have more hits than their opponents.

Saturday's game is the second time these teams meet this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Royals with 74 extra base hits (38 doubles, 11 triples and 25 home runs). Dairon Blanco is 6-for-13 with three home runs and eight RBI over the past 10 games.

Kyle Schwarber has 14 doubles and 28 home runs for the Phillies. Trea Turner is 11-for-41 with three doubles and a home run over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Royals: 7-3, .303 batting average, 3.89 ERA, outscored opponents by 17 runs

Phillies: 5-5, .264 batting average, 3.72 ERA, outscored opponents by seven runs

INJURIES: Royals: Hunter Harvey: 15-Day IL (back), Dan Altavilla: 60-Day IL (oblique), Josh Taylor: 60-Day IL (biceps), Kyle Wright: 60-Day IL (shoulder)

Phillies: Spencer Turnbull: 60-Day IL (back), Ranger Suarez: 15-Day IL (back), Luis Ortiz: 60-Day IL (ankle), Dylan Covey: 60-Day IL (shoulder)

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.