FENWAY – (Wire Service Report) – Kansas City scored three runs over the first three innings and let its pitching do the rest as the Royals held on to beat the host Boston Red Sox 3-2 in their three-game series opener on Friday night.
Carter Jensen (two doubles) and Salvador Perez each went 2-for-4 with an RBI to lead the Royals (66-82), who were just 3-7 in their previous 10 games.
Seth Lugo (7-8) scattered seven hits and struck out seven across five innings of two-run ball for the victory. Steven Cruz finished off his seventh save with a 1-2-3 ninth.
Mickey Gasper hit his ninth homer of the season and Wilyer Abreu went 2-for-4 with an RBI double for the Red Sox (80-68), who were held to just one hit over the final four innings. They have lost three straight since a five-game winning streak.
The Royals jumped ahead with a pair of first-inning hits off Sonny Gray (17-5), who went six frames. After Jensen crushed a leadoff double off the wall in deep center field, Perez knocked a two-out RBI single inside the third base line to open the scoring.
After Gray responded with a 1-2-3 second, Isaac Collins and Jensen started the third with back-to-back doubles, extending Kansas City’s lead to 2-0. Jensen’s wall-ball double high off the Green Monster brought in the run. Two batters later, Vinnie Pasquantino’s single through the right side made it a three-run game before a double play ended the inning.