Phillies at Royals KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Interstat) — The Philadelphia Phillies and Kansas City Royals meet Monday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium in the finale of a three-game interleague series, with first pitch set for 88 degrees and clear skies. Philadelphia (50-40) leads the National League East and has split the first two games of this series, rebounding from a 5-2 loss Sunday with a 6-1 victory Saturday. The Phillies enter as -1.5 favorites, and Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-2 Philadelphia win. The over/under is 8.5 runs. Right-hander Aaron Nola (0-1, 4.84 ERA in five starts) takes the mound for the Phillies. Nola lasted seven innings Sunday but took the loss, allowing seven hits and three earned runs while striking out seven. He has struggled with consistency this season, posting a 7-11 loss to Pittsburgh on June 29 in which he surrendered eight hits and seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings, and a 5-4 win at Washington on June 24, when he gave up three hits and two earned runs in five innings. Kansas City (36-54) sits last in the American League Central. Right-hander Luinder Avila (4-1, 3.60 ERA in his last four starts) counters for the Royals. Avila earned the win Sunday against these same Phillies, throwing five innings of three-hit ball with one earned run and four strikeouts. He has won three consecutive decisions, including a 12-5 victory at Tampa Bay on June 23, when he allowed one earned run in five innings while striking out six. The Royals have lost eight of their last 10 games. The Phillies have won seven of their last 10. Philadelphia’s lineup features second baseman Bryson Stott, who went 2 for 4 Sunday. Kansas City will look to build on Avila’s strong outing and the bullpen performance of Alex Lange and John Schreiber, who combined for two scoreless innings Sunday. After Monday’s game, the Phillies travel to Cincinnati for a three-game series beginning Tuesday. The Royals head to New York for a three-game set against the Mets.