BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Kansas City’s Cole Ragans allowed one run in seven innings to help the visiting Kansas City Royals extend their winning streak to four games by beating the Boston Red Sox 6-1 Friday night.
Ragans (6-6) gave up four hits, struck out seven, walked one and looked great doing it.
Bobby Witt Jr. (No. 16 of the year) and MJ Melendez (No. 11) each hit solo home runs for the Royals, who scored a run in the first inning, three in the second, one in the fourth and one in the eighth.
Witt’s home run came against Boston starting pitcher Cooper Criswell (3-4). Witt will be among the contestants in Monday’s Home Run Derby during All-Star festivities. Criswell was called from Worcester for aq spot start Friday afternoon.
Melendez homered against Greg Weissert. Melendez has eight home runs in 14 career games against the Red Sox.
Witt, Melendez and Adam Frazier each had two hits and an RBI for Kansas City. Melendez and Frazier each scored twice, and veteran catcher Salvador Perez drove in two runs.
Ceddanne Rafaela collected two of Boston’s five hits. The Red Sox struck out 10 times.
Chris Stratton and Nick Anderson both tossed a scoreless inning of relief for the Royals. Stratton struck out three after Boston’s first two batters reached base in the eighth.
Criswell allowed five runs on eight hits in six innings, but only two of the runs he gave up were earned.
Kansas City took a 1-0 lead when Perez hit a sacrifice fly that drove in Frazier in the first. An RBI single by Frazier, a sacrifice fly from Vinnie Pasquantino and an RBI single by Perez increased the lead to 4-0 in the second.
Back-to-back doubles by Jamie Westbrook and Rafaela cut Boston’s deficit to 4-1 in the bottom of the second, but Witt’s 429-foot home run made it 5-1 in the fourth. Melendez capped the scoring when he homered in the eighth.
Rob Refsnyder and Rafael Devers had Boston’s other hits in the loss.
–Field Level Media