Thursday, October 1, 2026
79 ° Clear
79 ° Clear
It was ugly in Kansas City.
On a rare Monday afternoon series finale, the Phillies and Royals met in a rubber match.
Sending Cy Young contender Cristopher Sanchez to the mound, Philly felt confident in picking up another series win.
With Sanchez likely to start the All-Star game in just over a week in Philadelphia, the momentum seemingly couldn't have been higher.
Until it wasn't.
In the bottom of the first inning, two men reached with out one to start the frame.
In what should have been an inning ending double play, Trea Turner overthrew first base, allowing for Jac Caglianone to reach base safely, extending the inning.
That error saw a run come across for the Royals. It was Turner's 12th error of the season. His defense has been a negative contributor once again in 2026.
MORE: Brandon Marsh named starter as five Phillies selected to NL All-Star roster
With two outs and a runner on, Sanchez unraveled. Kansas City piled on, adding up to six early runs.
After the poor first inning, the Phillies' ace never settled into the game. Only pitching four frames, Sanchez allowed at least one run to cross in each inning of work.
His earned run average rose from 2.00 to 2.62 by the end of the ballgame.
One of the true struggles of the 2026 Phillies has been their ability to hit left-handed starting pitching.
In fact, for the most part, they haven't.
Against Noah Cameron, that trend continued. Cameron tossed five innings, allowing just one earned run in the ballgame. Despite walking five batters, the Phillies were unable to get themselves back in the game.
Alec Bohm's RBI double in the first inning was the first and only run of the game scored by Philadelphia.
Kyle Schwarber was ejected from the ballgame by home plate umpire Alan Porter, after third base umpire Roberto Ortiz ruled that Schwarber did not successfully check his swing.
The Phillies now head to Cincinnati to battle the Reds before heading to Detroit to close out the first half of their season.
