Boston Red Sox vs Kansas City Royals Box Score on Jun 19, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Jun 19, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Jason Hammel pitched his fourth consecutive gem and Whit Merrifield drove in the go-ahead run with a seventh-inning single as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Boston Red Sox 4-2 on Monday night.

The Royals (34-35) won for the eighth time in nine games, and they inched within a game of .500.

Hammel (4-6) allowed two runs, seven hits and no walks with four strikeouts in seven innings. In four June starts, Hammel is 3-0 with a 2.30 ERA. He has allowed seven earned runs in 27 1/3 innings, giving up 24 hits, striking out 19 and walking one.

Drew Butera's one-out triple got the Royals rolling in the seventh. Ramon Torres ran for Butera. Merrifield fouled off the first four pitches, took a ball and then laced a run-producing single to left.

Merrifield went to second on a Jorge Bonifacio chopper and scored on a Lorenzo Cain single. The white-hot Cain went 2-for-4 and is 17-for-40 (.425) with 12 RBIs in his past 10 games.

Brian Boyer (0-1) took the loss, giving up two runs and three hits in 1 1/3 innings.

Left-hander Mike Minor, who replaced Hammel, weaved his way into and out of turmoil in the eighth.

The Red Sox loaded the bases on singles by Hanley Ramirez and Jackie Bradley Jr. and a walk to pinch hitter Chris Young. The inning ended when Christian Vazquez grounded out to third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert.

Kelvin Herrera worked the ninth to pick up his 16th save.

Hector Velazquez, who was making his second big league start and third appearance, was removed after 5 1/3 innings, allowing two Kansas City runs and five hits in a no-decision. He walked none and struck out three.

Fernando Abad replaced Velazquez and immediately got into a pickle. He walked Eric Hosmer, and Mike Moustakas put down a bunt single to the left side that beat the shift. Abad exited after facing two batters and getting nobody out.

Boyer was summoned from the bullpen and retired Cuthbert on a fly to shallow center and Alcides Escobar on a fielder's choice grounder with second baseman Josh Ruthledge making a diving stop of a ball headed for center.

Boyer escaped in the sixth, but not in the seventh.

The Royals broke out on top 2-0 in the third inning. Hosmer went deep to center, a 446-foot blast on a full-count offering from Velazquez. Bonifacio was along for the ride.

Hammel could not hold the lead for two batters. Ramirez led off the top of the fourth with a bloop single to right. Bradley turned on a Hammel pitch and deposited it over the right-field fence and into the Red Sox bullpen to tie the score at 2.

The Royals lost a challenge in the third when they thought Hammel had picked Xander Bogaerts off first base, but he was ruled safe. After a three-minute, five-second delay, the call on the field was not overturned.

Velazquez pitched out of trouble in the first when Bonifacio singled and went to third on Cain's one-out single. Hosmer struck out and Moustakas flied out to left to strand the runners.

NOTES: Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia was not in the lineup after being hit by a pitch in the ribs Sunday. X-rays were negative. ... Royals C Salvador Perez did not start because of discomfort in his rib cage area from a swing Sunday. Drew Butera started behind the plate, but Perez entered in the eighth after Ramon Torres ran for Butera. ... The Royals signed 1B Nick Pratto, their first-round pick out of Huntington Beach (Calif.) High School. ... The Royals recalled RHP Kevin McCarthy from Triple-A Omaha. They optioned LHP Eric Skoglund to the Storm Chasers. ... Red Sox 3B Pablo Sandoval, who did not play in the series at Houston, started. ... Red Sox LHP Chris Sale and Royals LHP Matt Strahm are the Tuesday probables.