PHILADELPHIA — Bryson Stott, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos homered, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals 8-4 on Sunday.
Bryce Harper had two hits and drove in a run for the defending champion Phillies, who have won five of seven. Philadelphia began play in second in the NL wild-card standings.
“I felt like we did a really good job this whole series responding,” Schwarber said.
MJ Melendez homered for Kansas City.
Taijuan Walker (13-4) recovered from a shaky first inning to become the first major league pitcher to reach 13 victories.
“He just competes even if he doesn’t have his good stuff,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.
The Phillies went ahead for good on Schwarber’s 28th homer in the second, a 421-foot drive to center off Zack Greinke (1-12) that made it 5-4. The two-run shot stopped an 0-for-19 skid.
Philadelphia Phillies’ Nick Castellanos reacts after hitting a two-run home run against Kansas City Royals pitcher Jonathan Heasley during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023, in Philadelphia. Credit: AP/Matt Slocum
“I always have confidence in him,” Thomson said.
Castellanos tacked on a two-run shot to left in the fifth, and Harper hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
Kansas City tagged Walker for three runs on five hits in the first, but the Phillies evened the score in the bottom half on Stott’s opposite-field drive to left with two down.
“That changed the momentum,” Thomson said.
Philadelphia Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber waves after the Phillies won a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023, in Philadelphia. Credit: AP/Matt Slocum
After Melendez made it 4-3 in the second with a solo shot, Walker settled down and allowed just one more hit. The 30-year-old right-hander finished seven innings of seven-hit ball.
Walker is trying to figure out why his velocity has started slow in the last two outings, but his mentality remains the same.
“My job is to go out there and give the team…
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