Realmuto's 7-RBI night backs Suárez's 'tremendous' return

KANSAS CITY -- The Phillies were eager to welcome back Ranger Suárez on Saturday night, and nothing was going to put a damper on the left-hander’s evening.

Pitching for the first time since July 22, Suárez came off the injured list in grand style, working five solid innings in the Phillies’ 11-2 victory over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. The win maintained Philadelphia's five-game lead over Atlanta in the NL East.

After recovering from lower back soreness that sidelined him just over a month, Suárez (11-5) was on a pitch count against Kansas City. But his efficiency allowed him to get deep enough into the game to pick up his first victory since June 8.

Suárez allowed just four hits and one run while throwing 72 pitches (46 strikes). He finished with a flourish, striking out both Kyle Isbel and Maikel Garcia with two runners on after Kansas City had cut the deficit to 2-1 in the fifth.

But on the evening of Suárez’s return, he had to share the spotlight with catcher J.T. Realmuto, who had an impressive night at the plate. Realmuto blasted a pair of three-run homers before notching his seventh RBI on a groundout in the ninth.

In the sixth inning, Realmuto got a green light on Brady Singer’s 3-0 pitch and didn’t miss. He crushed it 393 feet to put the Phillies ahead 5-1. Then in the eighth, Realmuto went yard again -- this time off Royals reliever Chris Stratton -- sending a 424-foot homer into the fountains in left-center.

Second baseman Bryson Stott also had a big game, tying his career high with four hits as Philadelphia scored six runs off the Royals’ bullpen.

All in all, there was a lot for Phillies manager Rob Thomson to savor, and it started with the return of Suárez.

“Tremendous,” Thomson said of his starter. “He had a lot of soft contact and he landed his breaking ball when he needed to. He kept them off-balance. He was super, really was.”

Thomson said the maximum number of pitches he would have been comfortable watching Suárez throw in his first game back was 75. But that number will rise “15 to 20 pitches” in each subsequent outing, the Phillies’ manager added.

“Now we can go to six [innings] and probably 90 pitches [in his next outing],” Thomson said.

Suárez felt his start went according to plan.

“As expected,” Suárez said through an interpreter. “I felt good every inning. Just happy to be able to contribute to a win today.”

Realmuto, who started the night with 29 runs batted in, collected seven RBIs with three swings. Given the opportunity to swing with a 3-0 count in the sixth, he was able to stick with his approach.

“In that situation, I’m looking for one pitch in one location,” Realmuto said.

The two batters ahead of Realmuto had reached thanks to some good fortune. Nick Castellanos’ popup behind second base dropped in because of miscommunication between Royals’ second baseman Michael Massey and right fielder Hunter Renfroe. Then Stott hit what looked like a routine bouncer to second before the ball took a bad hop and rolled to the outfield, giving the Phillies an opportunity to widen their lead.

“When J.T. hit that first three-run homer, everybody exhaled at that point,” Thomson said.

While the two-homer, seven-RBI night was fun, Realmuto got just as much enjoyment catching Suárez’s strong return to the Major League mound.

“He looked like he hadn’t missed a beat,” Realmuto said of Suárez. “Commanded the strike zone great, got ahead, was able to throw swing-and-miss pitches when he needed them. He’s a calming presence in our clubhouse. When he is on the mound, we know we’re going to have a good chance to win the game.”