BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Following back-to-back losses to the Los Angeles Angels and a much-needed day off from their American League playoff race, the Boston Red Sox look to right the ship with Sonny Gray on the mound in their three-game series opener against the visiting Kansas City Royals on Friday night.
Boston (80-67) won five straight to reach a season-high 15 games above .500 before dropping the series to the lowly Angels, concluding a stretch of 14 games in 13 days with a 6-4 loss in Wednesday’s rubber game.
“We talked about two other gauntlets, with this being the last one where you can finally reach the three off-days over the next 10 days,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “It’s helpful from the standpoint of rest for everybody that’s active and also for the guys we’re trying to get back.”
The Red Sox allowed six runs and double-digit hits in their last two losses and seven of their last 12 games. Outfielders Ceddanne Rafaela and Eli White and catcher Adley Rutschman have been sidelined in recent days, while others are on the way back from injury.
Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu homered to highlight Wednesday’s game for Boston, but three home runs off starter Jake Bennett helped Los Angeles build a 6-0 lead that was too much to overcome.
Anthony’s two-run shot was his third since returning from injury on Aug. 30. Abreu is tied for the American League lead with 13 since the All-Star break.
“I’m very proud of myself for what I’ve been doing,” Abreu said. “Hopefully I can hit a couple more before the season ends.”
Gray (17-4, 2.69 ERA) has pitched scoreless ball in three of his last six starts, including seven innings of three-hit ball last Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles.
Gray defeated the Royals on May 18 — striking out nine and allowing one run over six innings — to improve to 10-2 with a 1.74 ERA in his career against them. The Red Sox swept that three-game set in Kansas City.
The Royals (65-82) are just 3-7 in their last 10 games, but they bounced back from a pair of extra-inning losses for a 5-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, avoiding their 11th series sweep this season.
Bobby Witt Jr. hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the fifth inning to provide the winning runs. Before going deep twice on Kansas City’s recent nine-game home stand, the three-time All-Star was homerless in 50 straight at-bats.
“Three-pointers are nice,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “I know he’s felt like he’s left some runs out there, and he feels a lot of responsibility for that. That was a huge swing of the bat for him and for us.”
“Hunt the pitches and be able to do damage on the ones you’re looking for. And not miss them,” Witt added. “Take it one pitch at a time, and once you get those pitches, be able to capitalize on them.”
Carter Jensen hit his 23rd homer, tying Jac Caglianone for the team lead and marking the second-most ever by a Royals rookie. The catcher is on a 14-game on-base streak, and each of his last nine hits have gone for extra bases.
Seth Lugo (6-8, 5.04) gets the ball on Friday in search of his first win in his fifth career start against the Red Sox. He is 0-5 with a 5.61 ERA in seven head-to-head appearances, but allowed just two runs over six innings in his May 18 clash with Gray.
Lugo has allowed 12 runs on 17 hits over his last two starts (8 2/3 innings), though his five-inning appearance Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays was his eighth out of the last 10 without allowing a homer.
–Field Level Media