After being released by the Boston Red Sox, Walker Buehler made his Phillies debut in the 8-2 win over the Royals.

Recently acquired pitcher impressive in his first start with the Phillies, who closed in on the NL East title with fifth-straight win

The Phillies selected Walker Buehler's contract and will start the righty vs. the Kansas City Royals on Friday.

The game started out in promising fashion for Kansas City. Bobby Witt Jr. singled in the first inning and stole his 36th base of the season, then scored on Maikel Garcia’s single. The Royals’ small-ball approach was successful in putting some pressure on the Phillies’ defense ... for a while.

Philadelphia (88-60) has won five straight games to drop its magic number to three as it aims to clinch its second straight division title. The Phillies also are within striking distance of the Milwaukee Brewers (90-58) for the top overall spot in the NL playoffs.

In Turner’s absence specifically, veteran utility man Edmundo Sosa has filled in at shortstop. Although not the expectation, Sosa has done a nice job over his last six games keeping the Phillies offense afloat, batting .313 with a .750 OPS at the bottom of the lineup.

Walker Buehler, who returns to the mound in his Phillies debut Friday, was critical of the automated ball-strike system used in the minors, saying it was "inaccurate."