Red Sox explode late to rout Royals, 15-4
Xander Bogaerts ignited a comeback with a three-run triple Saturday night, sending the Boston Red Sox to a fifth consecutive victory with a 15-4 triumph over the reeling Kansas City Royals in Kansas City.
The Red Sox used four-, three- and seven-run uprisings to rescue left-hander David Price, who suffered through his second straight subpar effort.
The loss was Kansas City's eighth in a row. The Royals have been outscored 54-23 in that stretch.
After a Lucas Duda home run had helped the Royals go up 3-0, the Red Sox got their offense rolling in the fifth against Kansas City starter Brad Keller.
After Keller got two outs in the inning, Mookie Betts singled and Andrew Benintendi walked before J.D. Martinez singled to get Boston on the board.
Mitch Moreland then walked to load the bases, and Bogaerts cleared them with a triple that gave the Red Sox a 4-3 lead.
Keller, who was coming off a complete game in a 1-0 loss at Seattle last Sunday, was replaced at that point. He allowed four runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings, walking five and striking out two.
The Royals rebounded into a 4-4 tie when a single by Whit Merrifield and three hit batsmen in a stretch of four batters produced a run.
Price was pulled after plunking Duda to plate the tying run, having allowed four runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out nine.
The Red Sox took the lead for good in the seventh after a Benintendi walk and a Martinez double off the third Royals pitcher, Jason Adam (0-2).
Moreland greeted Enny Romero, making his Royals debut after having been claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh earlier in the week, with a sacrifice fly to give Boston a 5-4 lead.
Romero got a second out sandwiching a pair of walks, one of which was intentional, before Christian Vazquez made it a three-run game with a two-run single.
The Boston bullpen picked up Price with 4 1/3 innings of shutout relief. Heath Hembree (4-1) was credited with the win after throwing 1 1/3 hitless innings.
Benintendi gave the bullpen extra breathing room with a solo homer, his 14th of the season, in the eighth, before the Red Sox piled it on with a seven-run ninth that featured Betts' fourth hit of the night, an RBI double.
Backup catcher Drew Butera, making his sixth career appearance on the mound, got the final out for the Royals after giving up two hits and three walks.
Betts finished with two doubles and two runs scored, while Benintendi scored four times for the Red Sox, who improved to 6-2 on a nine-game trip.
Boston collected 16 hits and received 13 walks from seven Kansas City pitchers.
Duda had two RBIs, and Merrifield had two hits and scored twice for the Royals.
--Field Level Media
