The Philadelphia Phillies' bats finally awakened during a nine-game road trip. Now the Phillies are hoping to solve their home hex, against a Kansas City Royals club that has had offensive woes of its own.
The Phillies, limited to nine runs while dropping all six games on their last homestand, scored 57 and hit .326 while going 5-4 on their trip. They wrapped it up by winning all three games in Arizona, their first sweep in the desert in 10 years and their first series victory since May 16-18 against Miami.
"When we left Philly, we became a different team," Philadelphia manager Pete Mackanin told reporters after Wednesday's 9-8, 10-inning victory over the Diamondbacks.