The Kansas City Royals defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 7-4 in the opener of their interleague series, with significant contributions from Salvador Perez and Hunter Renfroe. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves have been revitalized, largely due to closer Raisel Iglesias, who pitched two scoreless innings in a recent 3-2 extra-inning victory over the Washington Nationals. The Braves also recently took two out of three games against the NL East-leading Phillies, highlighted by rookie Spencer Schwellenbach's strong performance. Despite these successes, the Braves still trail the Phillies in the division standings. Both teams are battling for playoff spots as the season nears its end.