The Boston Red Sox didn’t get the bats going until the fifth inning Saturday night, but then exploded from an early 3-0 deficit by pounding out 16 hits to score 15 runs over the final five innings, to defeat the Kansas City Royals 15-4 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri to notch their fifth straight victory.
Lucas Duda hit a solo homer in the second off Sox starter David Price, and Mike Moustakas added an RBI single and Salvador Perez added a sacrifice fly in the third to make it 3-0 Royals. Boston was held to just three hits over first four innings by KC starter Brad Keller, but came alive in the fifth inning. JD Martinez singled in Mookie Betts, and then Xander Bogaerts hit a bases loaded double to score three runs to make it 4-3 Sox. Price hit three batters in bottom half of inning, the last one with bases loaded to tie the game 4-4, and ending his night on the hill. Mitch Moreland put Boston back in lead in the seventh with a sacrifice fly, and Christian Vazquez added a two run single to make it 7-4. Andrew Benintendi added a solo homer in the eighth. Jackie Bradley Jr. helped a Boston seven run ninth by adding a fielders choice RBI beating out a double play attempt, while Betts and Beninitendi added RBI doubles, and Blake Swihart had an RBI single. Sandy Leon also added an RBI single. Brock Holt and Rafael Devers had bases loaded walks in the inning. Boston is now 62-29. Benintendi reached all six times with a homer, a double, four walks, and scored four times. Betts had four hits, while Martinez and Leon also had two hits a piece, with Martinez scoring twice.
Price left after 4.2 innings, allowing four earned runs, six hits, one walk, with nine strikeouts and also the three hit batsmen. Heath Hembree, Matt Barnes, Joe Kelly, Brandon Workman, and Hector Valazquez pitched the final 4.1 innings of scoreless and hitless baseball, striking out four. Hembree (4-1) picked up the win. Keller allowed four runs, six hits, five walks, with two strikeouts in 4.2 innings. Jason Adam (0-2) took the loss in relief. The Royals own the second worse record in baseball at 25-63, and worst home record at 11-34, and overall have only won five games since June 1st. Saturday was the eighth straight loss for KC.
After the game it was announced by Pete Abraham on Twitter that Vazquez broke his pinky finger sliding into second base and will head to DL. Swihart will back up Leon, and Vazquez will undergo an MRI Monday to see how much time he is out. Boston goes for their second straight road sweep on Sunday afternoon at 2:15. The Sox send Rick Porcello (10-3) to the bump, to be opposed by Royals righty Jakob Junis (5-10).
