No comeback was needed on Thursday afternoon. Rafael Devers and Danny Santana both had five RBI, and Nathan Eovaldi was strong on the mound once again as the Boston Red Sox completed a four game sweep of the Kansas City Royals pounding out 17 hits for a 15-1 victory. Boston swept their seven game homestand, also sweeping the New York Yankees.
Kike Hernandez took a 2-1 offering from Kansas City starter Kris Bubic into the monster seats in left for a quick lead in the bottom of the first inning. JD Martinez added a solo homerun to left center, and Danny Santana a three-run shot into the Boston bullpen in the fourth to help extend the advantage to 5-0. In the fifth Rafael Devers had a two-run single, Santana had an infield RBI single, and Hunter Renfoe was awarded home plate on a balk. Devers would smash a long three-run bomb to right field in the sixth, and now has a MLB leading 69 RBI. The Royals are now 33-47, losers of nine straight. Boston is 51-31, becoming the first team in the majors to 51 wins.
Eovaldi (9-4) went 7.0 innings allowing no runs on five hits with no walks and six strikeouts. He’s only allowed one earned run in the last 14.2 innings pitched, both victories for the right hander. Devers, Marwin Gonzalez, and Santana had three hits a piece, with Devers and Santana both driving in five runs. Alex Verdugo and Martinez also had two hits a piece. Carlos Santana, Hunter Dozier, and Nicky Lopez had two hits each for Kansas City, and Bubic (2-4) took the pitching loss allowing five runs on four hits in 4.0 innings. The Red Sox begin a six game West Coast trip on Friday night at 9:40 with the first of three with the Oakland Athletics. Boston sends LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (6-4, 5.83 ERA) to the mound in the opener, to be opposed by RHP Frankie Montas (7-7, 4.72) for Oakland.
