Red Sox Wrap: Boston Holds Off Royals For Crucial Series Victory
The Boston Red Sox continued their three-game series with the Kansas City Royals with a 6-5 victory at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday night.
With the win, Boston improves to 61-51 while Kansas City falls to 63-52.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Boston entered Tuesday with the chance to take a major win in terms of playoff implications in the American League.
Brayan Bello offered an improved start for the Red Sox with quality stuff before running into trouble in the fifth inning when the Royals tied the game with hard contact.
Luckily for Boston, the lineup that's been baseball's best since the All-Star break stepped up once again. After plating three early runs, the Red Sox responded in the sixth inning to post another three-spot.
Dominic Smith scored his second run of the game by just sneaking his right hand across home plate to retake the lead on a wild pitch from Royals starter Seth Lugo in the sixth inning. Masataka Yoshida then added insurance to continue his hot streak with a two-run single to stretch the advantage.
Kenley Jansen slammed the door in the tight game with his third save of more than three outs this season.
STARS OF THE GAME
-- Masataka Yoshida shot a solo blast to right field and drove in three runs for Boston.
-- Smith scored two runs in the victory for Boston.
-- Ceddanne Rafaela scored a run and drove in another.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox and Royals wrap up the series on Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET. You can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.