Royals suffer home loss vs. Boston Red Sox. There are Wild Card implications at stake
The Boston Red Sox dealt the first blow in the week’s crucial three-game series against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
The Red Sox collected 18 hits in a 9-5 victory over the Royals on Monday. KC failed to overcome a late deficit after Boston scored four pivotal runs in the seventh inning.
Royals reliever Angel Zerpa was hit hard in the frame. He allowed four consecutive hits against the heart of the Boston order. Red Sox pinch hitter Romy Gonzalez blasted a two-run homer to account for the major damage.
“At that point, we’re down and we’re trying to figure out how we’re going to get through the rest of the game and keep it where it is,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “We have a lot of confidence in Zerp and his stuff is really good. You know, (Gonzalez) got on that fastball and was ready to hit it.”
The home run gave the Red Sox a six-run advantage. And, it forced the Royals to try to climb out of an insurmountable hole.
KC didn’t get much offensive production on Monday. However, at one point, the Royals did find themselves in a tie game. Royals duo Bobby Witt Jr. and Freddy Fermin each recorded RBI singles to level the series opener at two apiece.
Later, Royals veterans Maikel Garcia and Adam Fraizer closed the gap with two RBIs in the seventh. The following inning, first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino hit his 15th home run.
Still, the deficit was too great.
“I think we’re just going out there and, you know, putting the same game plan together that we’ve done the last 100-plus games,” Royals second baseman Michael Massey said. “And they got us tonight. We will get another chance tomorrow.”
The Red Sox were able to hold on behind their bullpen to improve to 60-51. They are now 1.5 games behind the Royals for the final American League Wild Card spot.
The Royals dropped to 63-51. They have lost three of the four head-to-head matchups against Boston this season.
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Here are more notables from Monday’s game:
Brady Singer barreled against Red Sox
The Red Sox stacked the deck against Singer on Monday. Boston utilized six left-handed hitters and a switch hitter in its starting lineup.
The goal was simple: Boston wanted to take advantage of Singer’s splits against left-handers this season.
Entering Monday, Singer allowed an .284 batting average against lefties. Additionally, he’d surrendered 71 hits and a .850 OPS (on-base plus slugging).
“I feel like the sinker in was going to be a huge part of the night,” Singer said. “And I kind of just left a few over the middle of the plate there and gave up some hits on it.”
The Red Sox pounded Singer with singles. In the second inning, Singer allowed three consecutive hits to Red Sox left-handed trio Dominic Smith, Nick Sogard and David Hamilton as Boston took a two-run lead.
The three hits registered exit velocities of 96.6 mph, 100.6 mph and 90.0 mph, per Baseball Savant.
Later, Singer struggled to exit the sixth inning. He was charged with two more runs after leaving two runners aboard with two outs. Zerpa came in and allowed a two-run double to Red Sox star Jarren Duran.
Singer took the loss on Monday. He finished with 10 hits allowed, four earned runs and six strikeouts in 5 ⅔ innings.
Boston outfielder makes incredible catch
Red Sox starter James Paxton earned his ninth victory after allowing two earned runs in Monday’s start.
However, he got some defensive help from teammate Ceddanne Rafaela. In the fifth inning, Rafaela hauled in a highlight catch to rob Garcia of extra bases. He twisted and turned before snaring the baseball right up against the center-field wall.
“The play in center field was a tremendous play,” Quatraro said. “That was a great play and extremely athletic.”
The catch drew praise from Paxton on the mound. Rafaela finished 2-for-4 with a run scored in the game.
Next on the KC Royals schedule
The Royals continue their three-game home series against the Red Sox on Tuesday night. KC right-hander Seth Lugo will start opposite Red Sox standout Brayan Bello.
Lugo looks for an MLB-leading 14th victory this season. He owns a 2.80 ERA in 11 home starts and will make his second start against the Red Sox. On July 13, Lugo allowed five earned runs in a loss at Fenway Park.
Bello enters 10-5 with a 5.13 ERA. He has allowed three runs or fewer in his last four starts this season.
This story was originally published August 5, 2024 at 10:03 PM.
