How the KC Royals lost series finale to Red Sox despite Seth Lugo’s quality start
The Royals have defied the odds by playing nearly .500 baseball when scoring four runs or fewer this season. But scoring just four runs in a series ... that drops their success rate considerably.
And generating offense was an issue for the second straight game on Sunday. The Royals lost the third and final game of a three-game series, falling 3-1 to the Boston Red Sox before an announced crowd of 25,785 on Mother’s Day at Kauffman Stadium.
Four runs in three games, and the Royals still managed a victory. But their seven-game winning streak came to an end over the weekend.
“They know how to pitch,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Those are veteran guys with good stuff.”
On Sunday, it was Lucas Giolito and three relievers that held the Royals to four singles and two rallies. The Royals didn’t cash in enough from the first, and then they got nothing from the second.
The latter surge came in the ninth inning against Boston closer Aroldis Chapman, the former Royal.
With one out, Vinnie Pasquantino reached on an error and Salvador Perez singled. But Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran made a sliding catch of Maikel Garcia’s line drive and Mark Canna popped out to end the game.
The Royals’ first run was gifted to them, but it should have been more. Outfielder Drew Waters picked up the Royals’ first hit, singling up the middle to open the third inning. Then catcher Luke Maile drew a walk.
Center fielder Kyle Isbel laid down a bunt that rolled back to Giolito. The Red Sox right-hander threw to third base, but the ball got past third baseman Alex Bregman. Waters scooted home and the Royals had runners on first and second with nobody out.
But Giolito retired the next three Royals — including Bobby Witt Jr., who struck out for the fourth straight time in a row dating to Saturday night — to limit the damage. Witt’s punchout streak climbed to five with his next plate appearance.
“We did everything we could to get the runs in,” Waters said. “We’ll look to do a better job tomorrow. ...
“Anytime you can put a run up early, you start to feel the momentum shift in your direction. But Boston has the ability to kind of kill the momentum.”
Royals right-handed pitcher Seth Lugo turned in a quality start, but the Red Sox landed a pair of damaging blows — a 430-foot solo home run by Wilyer Abreu in the fourth inning and Rafeal Devers’ two-run shot in the sixth, a blast that sailed 440 to the base of the Crown Vision board in center.
“I didn’t feel like I had my best stuff, but I kept the team in the game,” Lugo said.
He could have used more run support. Since the Royals clubbed a team-record seven home runs a week earlier in Baltimore, they’ve managed to put just two over the wall.
Their second straight loss, following a seven-game winning streak, dropped the Royals to 24-18. Strong pitching — KC’s 2.99 team ERA ranks second in baseball — has helped them win a major league-best 17 games when scoring four or fewer runs. No other team had more than 10 such wins through Saturday.
The Royals just need a little more production in the batter’s box.
“We’ve got to find a way to get the big hit when we need it,” Quatraro said. “It’s not lack of effort. It’s not lack of preparation. Sometimes you don’t get those hits. But I think we’re in a good spot.”
Next up: The Royals open a three-game series at the Houston Astros on Monday. All three games are scheduled to start at 7:10 p.m. and will be broadcast on the FanDuel Sports Network. The Royals took two of three from Houston at Kauffman Stadium in late April.
This story was originally published May 11, 2025 at 3:48 PM.