The Boston Red Sox improve to 15-1 on Sundays, beating the Kansas City Royals 5-4 on Sunday afternoon.
Boston’s record now sits at 53-42 heading into the All-Star break, while Kansas City moves to 52-45.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Red Sox lineup can wear down right-handed pitchers and it especially showed on Sunday.
Right-hander Brady Singer started the game for the Royals through 2 2/3 innings and threw 74 pitches He came into the game with one of the lowest ERAs in the American League with a 2.93 ERA. When he came out of the game, his ERA sat at 3.20 after allowing four runs, eight hits and loading the bases before his day ended.
Against Singer, six Boston players recorded one or more hit on him, including two home runs and three doubles. Rafael Devers specifically capitalized with his homer and double that had him halfway to the cycle by the third inning.
When left-handers Angel Zerpa and Sam Long were sent on the mound, the Red Sox bats did quiet down. While Boston did record hits and walks, the damage was not as bad as when Singer was in the game.
The Red Sox did record six hits, however, against the Royals’ left-handed pitchers.
Dom Smith broke the quiet streak though five innings with a single in the seventh inning to send Devers home and give the Red Sox a much-needed insurance run against left-hander Will Smith.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Jarren Duran was a large factor in the win with a 4-for-5 day, including a double in the first inning. He capitalized with his speed and finding the correct gaps to hit the ball through to get on base.
— Rafael Devers had a big day at the plate, going 2-for-3, including a home run and double with two RBIs. The third baseman has been hot for the Red Sox despite dealing with a shoulder injury. The homer was his fifth in the month of July.
— Dom Smith was the one to send the most Red Sox runners home with three RBIs. He had a two-run homer and an RBI single to go 2-for-3 with a walk.
ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox will head into the All-Star break before taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, July 19. First pitch is set for 10:10 p.m. ET plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
