KANSAS CITY (Interstat) — One day after dropping the series opener, the Kansas City Royals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-2 on Sunday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium. Luinder Avila (4-3) pitched five innings, allowing one earned run on three hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Alex Lange earned his eighth save with a perfect ninth. Aaron Nola (3-6) took the loss after giving up three earned runs in five innings. The Royals built a 2-0 lead in the first on an RBI double by Lane Thomas and a single by Michael Massey. Philadelphia tied it in the fifth on a sacrifice fly from Gabriel Rincones Jr. and went ahead 2-1 in the seventh on a forceout. Kansas City regained the lead in the eighth when Salvador Perez doubled in Bobby Witt Jr. and Thomas. Witt and Isaac Collins each had two hits. Perez finished with two RBIs. The Royals totaled eight hits to the Phillies’ five. Attendance was 14,891. The game lasted 2 hours, 23 minutes. Philadelphia fell to 50-40; Kansas City improved to 36-54.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Interstat) — Salvador Perez’s two-run double in the eighth inning broke a 3-3 tie and lifted the Kansas City Royals to a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals snapped a two-game losing streak and evened the three-game series after dropping the opener 6-1 on Saturday. Kansas City improved to 36-54, while Philadelphia fell to 50-40. A crowd of 14,891 watched the game, which lasted 2 hours, 23 minutes. Philadelphia struck first in the top of the fifth inning. Bryson Stott led off with a triple to center field and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Gabriel Rincones Jr., giving the Phillies a 1-0 lead. The Royals answered in the bottom half of the inning. Isaac Collins doubled to center, advanced to third on a single by Bobby Witt Jr., and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Jac Caglianone, tying the game at 1-1. The score remained deadlocked until the seventh inning, when Philadelphia pushed across another run. Stott singled to center, moved to third on a fielder’s choice and a throwing error by third baseman Josh Rojas, and scored on a forceout by Garrett Stubbs, putting the Phillies ahead 2-1. Kansas City responded again in the bottom of the seventh, but the Phillies held them scoreless. Royals reliever Matt Strahm worked a perfect inning with one hit and one strikeout. The game turned in the eighth inning. With the score still 2-2, the Royals loaded the bases after walks to Bobby Witt Jr. and Lane Thomas, followed by a strikeout of pinch-hitter Nick Loftin. Perez then stepped to the plate and lined a double to left field, scoring Witt and Thomas to give Kansas City a 4-2 lead. The Royals added an insurance run later in the inning on a groundout by Josh Rojas, making it 5-2. Philadelphia threatened in the top of the ninth but went down in order against Royals closer Alex Lange, who earned his eighth save of the season. Royals starter Luinder Avila earned the win, improving to 4-3. He allowed one earned run on three hits over five innings, striking out four and walking one. Phillies starter Aaron Nola took the loss, falling to 3-6. He surrendered two earned runs on five hits over five innings, striking out six and walking one. Key contributors for Kansas City included Isaac Collins, who went 2 for 3 with a double and a run scored; Bobby Witt Jr., who went 2 for 3 with a walk and a run; and Salvador Perez, who drove in two runs on a 1-for-4 day. For Philadelphia, Bryson Stott had two hits including a triple and scored both runs, while Justin Crawford added a hit and a sacrifice bunt. Kansas City outhit Philadelphia 8-5. The series concludes Monday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium, with the Phillies sending their ace to the mound against a Royals pitcher still to be announced. Philadelphia then travels to Cincinnati for a three-game series starting Tuesday, while Kansas City heads to New York to face the Mets. The Interstat game simulator had projected a final score of Philadelphia 7, Kansas City 3. Interstat’s ELO system gave Philadelphia a 59.90 percent probability to win. The Phillies were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The combined total of seven runs went over the over-under line of 9.5.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Interstat) — The Philadelphia Phillies and Kansas City Royals will play a day-night doubleheader Sunday at Kauffman Stadium, with the forecast calling for 83-degree temperatures and rain. The Phillies (49-39) enter as the strong favorite, with Interstat’s game simulator projecting a 7-3 victory for the visitors. Philadelphia is listed at -1.5 on the spread, and the over/under is set at 9.5 runs. Philadelphia won the series opener 3-1 on Saturday, the only run coming off a Carter Jensen home run in the fourth inning. The Phillies have won five of their last 10, though they dropped their most recent game Thursday, 6-1 to Pittsburgh. Right-hander Alan Rangel is a player to watch for Philadelphia. In his last three starts, all losses, Rangel posted a 3.46 ERA across 13 innings. He threw four shutout innings against Pittsburgh on Thursday, scattering three hits with four strikeouts. He allowed one earned run over five innings June 22 at Washington, but surrendered four earned runs in four innings June 27 against the New York Mets. Kansas City (35-53) has lost four straight and eight of its last nine. The Royals were held to two hits in a 5-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Thursday. Catcher Carter Jensen is a key offensive piece for the Royals. He homered in Thursday’s loss, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Across his last 10 games, Jensen is hitting .244 with three home runs and nine RBIs, including a 3-for-5, two-RBI performance in a 5-4 win at the Chicago White Sox on June 28. Jensen drove in the lone run Monday in a 2-1 victory at Tampa Bay. The Phillies will send a pitcher to the mound in the opener, with the Royals countering with a starter to be announced. Forecasts indicate rain likely will affect at least one game of the twin bill. Philadelphia continues its road trip Monday with another game at Kansas City, before heading to Cincinnati for three games beginning Tuesday. The Royals conclude the homestand with the series finale Monday, then travel to New York to face the Mets on Tuesday.