Red-hot Royals face Phillies, eye eighth straight win

Bobby Witt Jr. and the Royals will look to extend their hot streaks on Saturday when Kansas City plays the second contest of a three-game road series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Witt launched a two-run homer as Kansas City recorded its seventh straight win with a 7-5 victory in the series opener on Friday. That blast, Witt's team-leading 20th of the season, allowed him to become the first player major league history to have 20 homers and 30 stolen bases in each of his first two seasons.

"To hear that that's the first person in the history of the game to accomplish that is amazing to me, and I feel really honored and privileged to witness that," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said, per Bally Sports Kansas City. "Just a special person, too."

Witt is a robust 17-for-32 (.531) with four homers with 15 RBIs, eight runs and four steals during his seven-game hitting streak.

"Good hitters when they start to feel comfortable, they see the ball well and they lay off tough pitches," Quatraro said. "And when they get mistakes, they do damage.

"On the other side of the ball, he's been making really nice plays. He's really showing his range, his throwing accuracy has been good. He's really showing the tools that he has."

Dairon Blanco drove in three runs and stole three bases for Kansas City, which has won seven in a row for the first time since emerging victorious in nine straight from July 19-28, 2017.

Philadelphia had won six of nine games before seeing a pair of two-run leads go by the boards on Friday.

Nick Castellanos belted a two-run homer in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to five games. He has gone deep twice during that stretch.

Trea Turner had an RBI single in the sixth inning to snap an 0-for-17 drought. Turner received a standing ovation in his first at-bat from the crowd at Citizens Bank Park, a show of good faith that pleased his mother.

"She said she cried in my first at-bat," Turner said. "I guess that made her pretty happy."

Kansas City will turn to right-hander Alec Marsh (0-5, 6.75 ERA) in its bid for a series victory on Saturday. He will be opposed by Philadelphia left-hander Cristopher Sanchez (0-3, 2.66).

Marsh, a 25-year-old rookie, lost his first five trips to the mound, all starts, before receiving a no-decision on Tuesday. He did not allow a hit in a scoreless inning of relief against the New York Mets.

Marsh has yet to face the Phillies in his young career.

Like Marsh, Sanchez is searching for his first win of the season, although he deserved a better fate on Sunday after he did not allow a hit over five scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

"A little stomachache going on, and I didn't feel like I had much energy," Sanchez said, per the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Sanchez, 26, has yet to encounter Kansas City in his career.