Xander Bogaerts had four hits with a run and an RBI as the Boston Red Sox defeated the host Kansas City Royals 7-4 Friday night to even the four-game series at a game apiece.
Alex Verdugo had three hits, including two doubles, and two runs for Boston.
Josh Winckowski (5-5) earned the win. He gave up one run on five hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked two. Winckowski worked around trouble most of the evening.
Zack Greinke (3-7) took the loss. He allowed four runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Eric Hosmer, who had 288 career RBIs at Kauffman Stadium as a member of the Royals in his first seven seasons, pulled a double down the right-field line in the second inning to give the Red Sox the early lead. Hosmer’s hit drove in Verdugo, who reached on a one-out double.
J.D. Martinez hit a double off the top of the wall in left center, scoring Bogaerts and Verdugo with one out in the fourth, extending Boston’s lead to 3-0.
The Royals loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fourth, but Winckowski got Kyle Isbel to ground into a fielder’s choice at the plate and struck out Nicky Lopez.
Bogaerts extended the lead to 4-0 with a two-out single in the fifth. Salvador Perez answered that run with a massive, 454-foot home run to left in the bottom of the inning.
The next inning, Hosmer reached on a two-base error on left fielder MJ Melendez and then scored on a single by Reese McGuire.
Jarren Duran had a two-run double in the eighth for Boston to make it 7-1. The Royals added three in the bottom of the eighth on a Nate Eaton sacrifice fly and a two-run double by Melendez.
All 10 players in the Royals starting lineup — including starting pitcher Greinke — were originally signed or drafted by the Royals. According to Elias, this marked just the third game in franchise history — and second this season — in which the Royals fielded a starting lineup of 10 players who were all “homegrown.” Other than last Friday night’s game at Yankee Stadium, the only other time was on Sept. 19, 1990, at Minnesota.
–Field Level Media
