Garrett Stubbs goes 4-for-4 in Phillies’ 11-3 win over the Kansas City Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Garrett Stubbs has one of the more difficult jobs in baseball. He backs up a starting catcher, J.T. Realmuto, who rarely gets a day off. It’s hard to get much offensive rhythm with only a few at-bats each week. But, despite that, Stubbs has been holding his own this year.

He’s found ways to get on base, whether it’s a walk or a bunt, but he exceeded all expectations in Sunday’s 11-3 win. Stubbs began his day with a triple down the right-field line to lead off the third inning, followed by a bunt single in the fourth, a line double to left in the sixth, and a single to right in the eighth inning. He was hit by a pitch in the ninth.

Given that a cycle was on the line, that hit-by-pitch was met with some consternation by Stubbs’ teammates. But Stubbs wasn’t dwelling on it. He’s friendly with utility man Garrett Hampson, who was on the mound for the Royals at the time.

“He definitely did [feel bad],” Stubbs said. “Garrett Hampson is a good guy. I’ve gotten to play against him for a long time now, all through the minors and the big leagues now. He was probably trying to maybe even feed me in to [hit a homer]. He kind of fed me in a little bit too much.

“Everybody was giving me crap about not getting out of the way, but I tried to get out of the way. I was like, this is the only team where you can go 4-for-4 with a hit by pitch and they’re giving you crap when you come in the dugout.”

It was the first four-hit game of Stubbs’ six-year career.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever gotten on base five times in a game,” he said. “I would’ve taken a 4-for-5 with a chance to try to hit a home run in the fifth at-bat. But I don’t know if I’ve ever gotten on base five times in a game. Maybe little league.”

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His hits weren’t the hardest, or the deepest, but they made a real impact. After his triple, he scored on Kyle Schwarber’s ensuing double. His double in the sixth drove in a run. Schwarber drove him home again, in the sixth, and Stubbs’ single in the eighth put him in a position to score when Bryce Harper lined a double to right field a few batters later.

It was the perfect encapsulation of what’s gone right for this offense over the past two games. There were contributions up and down the lineup. Royals ace Seth Lugo (14-8) wasn’t sharp, and the Phillies took advantage of it. Every hitter in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit; five of them recorded multiple hits.

The bottom of the lineup, in particular, really shined.

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Brandon Marsh, Johan Rojas, and Stubbs went a combined 8-for-12. After tacking on two runs in the third and one run in the fourth, the Phillies continued to add on throughout the game. They piled on five runs in the eighth, with Harper’s RBI double, a two-run single by Alec Bohm, and a two-run home run by Nick Castellanos.

It was the second straight game in which the Phillies have scored double-digit runs, setting a good tone for their upcoming homestand against the Astros and the Braves.

“I think we got our approaches back,” said manager Rob Thomson. “Not trying to do too much, pass the baton, eliminate chase as much as you can. Use the entire field. I thought our at-bats really the entire series were really good.”

The extra insurance run in the fourth was more than enough for starter Kolby Allard, who was called up from triple A on Sunday morning. Thomson said he’d hoped Allard would go at least five or six innings, and he did that, allowing two earned runs on eight hits, including two solo homers, with no walks and five strikeouts over five frames.

Reliever José Ruiz allowed a solo home run to MJ Melendez in the sixth, but the bullpen didn’t allow any more damage from there. None of the Phillies’ pitchers allowed a walk.

“Allard was good,” Thomson said. “He’s not going to light up the radar gun, but he’s going to command. He’s going to throw strikes. He’s not afraid. Cutter is good, he lands the curveball, the changeup was really good today. He got some swings and misses on it. The first two guys get on him in the first inning and he works himself out of it. That tells me something about him.”

Sunday’s win wasn’t as clean as Saturday’s. Bohm forgot how many outs there were in the first inning, and Bryson Stott later fumbled a ground ball hit by Salvador Perez, allowing Perez to reach first base. But the Phillies left Kansas City with a series win over the Royals, and something to build on as they come home to Philadelphia.