Otherwise, he and Vicente Padilla really did step up to the plate by keeping the pressure off of the bullpen. And in similar fashion, the offense kept the pressure off Felix Doubront.
Will Middlebrooks, Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz combined to hit four homers as the Red Sox finished with 11 runs on 16 hits on Monday. It snapped the team's five-game losing streak.
Mid 9th, 11-5: Not the best homecoming for Mike Aviles, who just struck out again.
But he's still much happier and contributing more to the Red Sox than he did in Kansas City.
End 8th, 11-5: Vicente Padilla with another clutch performance, inducing a double play.
But he's clutch in the fact that he's helped alleviate the burden for the Red Sox bullpen. He's also in the Alfredo Aceves' mold of being able to adapt to any situation.
Mid 8th, 11-5: Will Middlebrooks is on fire right now. He belted his second homer of the game, this one connected with the left field foul pole.
Now, he's gone pole to pole. He's 3-for-5 with five RBIs and will really make decisions hard when Kevin Youkilis is healthy enough to return to the lineup.
End 7th, Red Sox 7-5: Just when things were looking good for Felix Doubront, he had a tough inning.
He got the bases loaded and wound up walking Alex Gordon in. Either way, it marked the longest he had made it through a game in his career and he finished with 111 pitches.
Vicente Padilla bailed him out right after, inducing a double play to end the inning.
Mid 7th, Red Sox 7-4: Even though Middlebrooks made an early error, he's still crushing at the plate, hitting a double.
He's hitting .350 right now. He also has struck out twice, but it's certainly part of the process of figuring out and adjusting major league hitters.
End 6th, Red Sox 7-4: That was an eight-pitch inning for Felix Doubront right there. Exactly what Valentine was hoping for.
This bodes really well for the Red Sox and increases his chances of tossing in the eighth inning, if necessary.
And in the process, Doubront recorded two strikeouts.
Mid 6th, Red Sox 7-4: Other than Dustin Pedroia's double, not much happened in that inning.
But here's an update on Daisuke Matsuzaka that we received from the Red Sox just now. Matsuzaka's fastball topped out at 92 mph and he tossed 87 pitches, 49 strikes.
He also threw four and 2/3 innings in the Triple-A Pawtucket start.
End 5th, Red Sox 7-4: The pitch count for Felix Doubront is now hitting 79. Not bad, but not ideal.
If he can give the Red Sox two more strong innings, I think Bobby Valentine would take that in a heartbeat.
No one should be concerned with Alfredo Aceves. As he said last year, if he wakes up, he's ready to roll and pitch with no excuses.
Mid 5th, Red Sox 7-4: No magic and interesting base running feats from Kelly Shoppach during this at-bat.
But the Red Sox offense has been cruising, with each starter except Cody Ross having a recorded a hit so far through this one.
That's 10 hits and five runners left on base for the Red Sox.
End 4th, Red Sox 7-4: That's 18 more pitches for Felix Doubront in that inning. He has 63 total. I don't think anyone needs to tell him the pressure on him to help the bullpen.
On Sunday, Clay Buchholz only lasted 3 2/3 innings in a 17-inning game. The only pitcher who didnt play was Clayton Mortensen, who did a yeoman's job filling in for Aaron Cook on Saturday.
Mid 4th, Red Sox 7-4: The Red Sox gave Felix Doubront so much needed run support.
After Kelly Shoppach unloaded his first career triple — it was smoother than his first career steal — Dustin Pedroia followed up with a homer.
I was surprised to hear a good amount of Red Sox fans cheering here in Kansas City. Who would've thought Red Sox Nation had that reach over here?
End 3rd, Red Sox 5-4: Defensive miscues are absolutely crushing the Red Sox right now.
Will Middlebrooks' throwing error to first base allowed Jarrod Dyson to score and eventually resulted in Alex Gordon crossing home plate.
That's not helping Felix Doubront's cause to be efficient. First, Byrd's error and now this one hurts him.
Mid 3rd, Red Sox 5-2: There goes David Ortiz once again. He blasted a solo shot to leadoff the inning.
It's his fourth home run against a lefty this season and actually each of his last four homers have all been off southpaws. Go figure.
Sanchez got a little revenge against Will Middlebrooks this time around, striking him out.
End 2nd, Red Sox 4-2: That leadoff walk to Jeff Francouer didn't bode well for Felix Doubront.
But Marlon Byrd's misreading on the ball in center field against Mike Moustakas didn't help either. It allowed the Royals to trim the deficit to two runs.
By the way — on a random note — the waterfall at Kauffman Stadium is really, really cool.
Mid 2nd, Red Sox 4-0: Mike Aviles is back to his Kansas City roots and just hit a single against his former team.
Although he reps New York City as his home, he said Kansas City will have a special spot in his heart since it was his first organization.
End 1st, Red Sox 4-0: It caught me off guard that Valentine took a visit to the mound to speak with Doubront so early.
Considering Doubront has endured problems with efficiency and the bullpen was taxed, Valentine told us before the game that they he was a little concerned.
He joked that he needed 15 innings from Doubront. Maybe that was part of the pep talk.
Mid 1st, Red Sox 4-0: There were two big positive signs for the Red Sox in this one.
One, Adrian Gonzalez battled through a tough at-bat and hit an RBI blooper, a strong sign considering his rough start.
But Will Middlebrooks showed opposite field power, belting a three-run homer on the first pitch he saw from Jonathan Sanchez.
6:56 p.m.: Here are the lineups.
Red Sox
Mike Aviles, SS
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Cody Ross, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Darnell McDonald, LF
Marlon Byrd, CF
Kelly Shoppach, C
Felix Doubront, P
Royals
Jarrod Dyson, CF
Alex Gordon, LF
Billy Butler, DH
Eric Hosmer, 1B
Jeff Francoeur, RF
Mike Moustakas, 3B
Brayan Pena, C
Chris Getz, 2B
Alcides Escobar, SS
Jonathan Sanchez, P
8 a.m. ET: After a disappointing homestand, the Red Sox are hoping to sustain their momentum on the road against the Royals.
Monday's game will mark a notable homecoming for Red Sox shortstop Mike Aviles and pitching coach Bob McClure, each of whom spent the majority of the last few years in Kansas City.
In four years with the Royals, Aviles hit 24 homers with 122 RBIs with a .286 average before being traded to Boston last summer.
Meanwhile, McClure helped convert former Royals ace Zack Greinke into a Cy Young pitcher in Kansas City, and he developed a rapport with many of the team's other pitchers, including injured hurler Joakim Soria.
Felix Doubront, who is 1-1, will take the mound for the Red Sox in the first game of the series.
For details and analysis from Kauffman Stadium, follow NESN.com's live blog. Be sure to tune into NESN at 7 p.m. for other coverage. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m.
