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JAMES SHIELDS |
BOSTON STRONG -
THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION
The Royals hold on to
beat the Red Sox
August 11, 2013 ...
A poor beginning by John Lackey put the Red Sox in a hole they couldn't quite climb out of Sunday, as the Royals held on for a 4-3 victory that gave Kansas City three of four in the weekend series.
Matched against Royals ace James Shields, Lackey didn't have much margin for error. He exceeded that margin by allowing four runs through the opening three innings. Although Lackey came
back with four shutout innings to end his afternoon, it turned out to be a moot point.
The Red Sox scored an unearned run in the first thanks to catcher Salvador Perez's throwing error, but the complexion shifted dramatically as the Royals struck back with runs in the
first, second and third innings. The tone was set immediately when Lackey walked David Lough and Eric Hosmer,
the first two hitters he faced. Billy Butler bounced into a double play, but Alex Gordon picked
up Butler with an RBI single to tie the game. The Royals took the lead in the second thanks to Mike Moustakas' leadoff double, a sacrifice and an RBI single by Jarrod Dyson.
The speedy Dyson stole second and scored on Lough's broken-bat bloop single to right. Stolen bases have been an issue for Lackey. He has allowed 29, three on Sunday, the most of any Red Sox starter. Eight of the steals have come in the last two starts.
When Gordon homered in the third, the Royals were up 4-1, and that proved to be all the offense they would need.
The Red Sox have thrived with Houdini-like comebacks all season, but not against the Royals' starters and the strong arms in Kansas City's bullpen. Boston (71-49) finished the regular season series just 2-5 versus the Royals (61-54). The Red Sox closed
within 4-3 in the sixth when catcher Ryan Lavarnway came through with a two-out, two-run single. But Shields got through seven with the lead, and the bullpen trio of
Tim Collins, Aaron Crow and closer Greg
Holland sealed the deal. Rookie lefthander Drake Britton was tossed into a tough spot. He came out of the bullpen in the eighth inning to face the heart of the Kansas City order with the Sox down by a run.
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DRAKE BRITTON |
A big key for Kansas City was holding down leadoff hitter and Boston catalyst Jacoby Ellsbury. One day after he had tied a career high with four hits, Ellsbury went 0-for-5 and hit into a
double play. The top four in the Red Sox lineup combined to go 1-for-15 at the plate. Drew was 2 for 4, extending his hit streak to 12 games. Will Middlebrooks was 1 for 3 with a walk and has been on base four times in two games since returning to the
majors. Drake Britton has a 2.08 earned run average and 1.08 WHIP in 10 appearances, all in relief.
The Red Sox are 3-4 on a road trip that will end with a three-game series in Toronto. For Kansas City, the weekend set against Boston was a confidence-booster the club hopes will propel it toward serious playoff contention. Kansas City took three of four
games from the Red Sox and is now 18-5 since the All-Star break. The Royals showed the Red Sox a mix of pitching, power, speed, and good defense over the weekend.
David Ross caught four innings for Double A Portland and had three plate appearances in the second game of his rehabilitation assignment. The plan is for Ross to catch consecutive games for Pawtucket later this week. Mike Napoli struck out three times
and now has 155 on the season. That's the fifth-most in a season in franchise history. Only Mark Bellhorn (177 in 2004), Jason Bay (162 in 2009), Butch Hobson (162 in 1977), and Tony Armas (156 in 1984) have had more. Napoli is on a pace for 209. |
