Final, Red Sox 13-9: Franklin Morales gave the Royals a little parting gift in the form of a two-run rally, just for kicks and to see if we can hit the four-hour mark.
Alas, we fell just shy of that milestone and can finally put this one to bed.
It was ugly (three errors, 13 walks, three hit batters) and beautiful (David Ortiz 4-for-5 with five RBIs, Dustin Pedroia flirting with a cycle) at the same time.
Look for all the postgame coverage you can shake a stick at on NESN and NESN.com. The live blog will be back in action tomorrow night. Same time, same channel.
End 8th, Red Sox 13-7: The Royals have put three zeroes on the board so far. Danny Duffy had one on his own, Blake Wood another and outfielder Mitch Maier the third.
Dustin Pedroia made a bid for a home run to complete the cycle but his fly to left died at the wall. David Ortiz later ripped a double to establish a new career high with three of those, but Maier stranded him by sawing off Jason Varitek and getting a pop to the mound.
Tek might catch some grief for that. But he's a catcher, so he catches things all the time.
Franklin Morales will finish this one off.
Mid 8th, Red Sox 13-7: With the Red Sox lining up for the extra point, it's worth mentioning that Matt Albers' scoreless streak is at 12 1/3 innings.
Daniel Bard gets the notoriety for his streak, but Albers is inching up there as well. Neither has allowed a run in July.
Albers used a double play and a strikeout to offset a leadoff walk in the eighth.
Outfielder Mitch Maier is pitching the bottom half for KC. We've come to this. This is the 10th time in Royals history a position player has pitched.
End 7th, Red Sox 13-7: The Red Sox left a couple on in the seventh, but because it was the seventh, they had to score at some point.
The run came in the form of a Jason Varitek solo shot, his sixth of the year. It was also the first for the team in 29 innings, remarkably enough.
Matt Albers, who got all five men he faced last night, is on to work the eighth. He's been fantastic this year.
Mid 7th, Red Sox 12-7: That's 3 1/3 scoreless for Alfredo Aceves. It's almost as if Randy Williams giving up two runs in the 14th in last night's game was a blessing.
Terry Francona could stay away from Alfredo Aceves, and he never had to go to John Lackey, who was prepared to help out if it went much further.
Because of it, the Sox have Aceves to clean up Andrew Miller's mess, and can still throw Lackey tomorrow.
End 6th, Red Sox 12-7: You know what this game needs? A bench-clearing brawl, that's what.
We haven't had one yet, but there is some increased tension in the house. Moments after Alfredo Aceves hit Billy Butler, Blake Wood plunked Adrian Gonzalez.
Both benches were warned. There are two games left in this already nutty series, so there's time for things to either fester and bubble up, or to go away.
If it's anything like the Orioles series before the break, it will bubble up. The Red Sox offense, coupled with the incredible number of times their pitchers hit batters, can create some anger on the other side. It's only natural.
Oh, the Sox left the bases loaded in the sixth.
Mid 6th, Red Sox 12-7: Yes, I know I had the wrong score there for a moment. It's sometimes hard to keep track with this team.
This much we know. The Royals wasted a double and a hit batter in the sixth as Alfredo Aceves escapes a jam.
Aceves has hit nine batters. Entering tonight, only five pitchers in all of baseball had reached that mark. Of course, John Lackey and Jon Lester are atop the leaderboard.
End 5th, Red Sox 12-7: We said the Red Sox were on the verge of reaching double figures in scoring again.
They did it, and nearly had many more.
Adrian Gonzalez singled in a run, Dustin Pedroia added another hit and then David Ortiz smacked a two-run single to make it 11-7.
That trio is 9-for-9 with seven RBIs and six runs scored.
Josh Reddick later added a sacrifice fly and Jacoby Ellsbury made a bid to break it wide open with a drive into the triangle that Melky Cabrera tracked down.
Pedroia has the first four-hit game of his season in just five innings. Ortiz has five RBIs for the first time in 2011.
9:21 p.m.: Scoresheets are already a complete mess in this one.
What you need to know is that the Red Sox put a pair on with hits by Josh Reddick and Jacoby Ellsbury, who hit for Yamaico Navarro.
Drew Sutton, hitting for Darnell McDonald, then dropped down a bunt that was predictably thrown away. Why do pitchers struggle with that so often? Boggles the mind.
Both Reddick and Ellsbury scored on the play and Sutton ran all the way to third. He is there and Marco Scutaro is at first with no outs. The new pitcher is Blake Wood, facing Adrian Gonzalez with the Sox on the verge of reaching double figures again.
Mid 5th, Royals 7-6: We've seen a little bit of everything already tonight, and now, we've seen our first 1-2-3 inning of the evening.
Alfredo Aceves settles in nicely in his first full inning of work, and is able to retire the Royals in order.
In fact, the top of the fifth was only the second half inning of the game to not see a runner touch home plate.
End 4th, Royals 7-6: Last night's game had a rain delay of more than two hours and 14 innings. This one may take longer to complete.
It's a slugfest, folks.
With two outs, Adrian Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia singled against Nate Adcock. David Ortiz walked and so did Carl Crawford, pushing in a run.
Crawford had fanned five straight times before that walk, but it wasn't hard to do against Adcock, who was a mess.
Adcock then fell behind Jason Varitek 3-1 before getting him to foul one off and then fly to center.
8:51 p.m.: The Royals are in last place again but you can see why the organization is looking forward to the future.
Eric Hosmer is the real deal. Alex Gordon is coming into his own. Billy Butler is a solid bat. They can score runs, and they like some of their arms coming up.
One is Danny Duffy, but this one will have to be filed away as a learning experience. Duffy matches Andrew Miller by lasting just two outs into the third. After an Adrian Gonzalez single with two outs, Duffy is yanked.
Good thing, too. Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz, the next two hitters, have owned him. Here is Nathan Adcock to face Pedroia.
Mid 4th, Royals 7-5: Back and forth we go. Danny Duffy's turn to get roughed up.
Andrew Miller's final line: 3 2/3 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.
It's up to Alfredo Aceves to keep the Royals right here. Don't bet against him.
8:38 p.m.: Throughout his career, Andrew Miller has had a tendency to put up some really ugly lines.
This one will join the rest of them.
Miller did not have it tonight, and if there was any doubt as to that fact, the Royals let him know about it with two swings of the bat in the fourth.
Alex Gordon crushed a two-run shot into the bleachers in center and Billy Butler tattooed one well over the Monster on the center field side of things. Both of them were bombs.
With two outs, Alfredo Aceves has taken over. That does it for Miller in this one, and the need to get Clay Buchholz back healthy is becoming more important by the day.
End 3rd, Red Sox 5-4: The first five hitters in the Red Sox lineup are a combined 5-for-7 with two walks, five RBIs and five runs scored.
The next four are 0-for-6 with four strikeouts.
Marco Scutaro led off the third with a double and Adrian Gonzalez walked. Dustin Pedroia, the best cleanup hitter in baseball (when he's in there) then ripped another double to score one, and David Ortiz followed with his second two-bagger to score two.
Danny Duffy then struck out Carl Crawford and Josh Reddick in working his way out of the mess.
Crawford has fanned six times in his last seven at-bats.
Mid 3rd, Royals 4-2: Andrew Miller could've been in another mess, if not for some wackiness that helped him out in the third.
Jeff Francouer, who treats ball four like the plague, drew a leadoff walk. He was then caught too far off the bag when Mike Moustakas lined a hot shot to shortstop.
However, Marco Scutaro's throw got past Adrian Gonzalez, who seemed reticent to reach out with the runner diving back in, and bounded to the screen in front of the Red Sox dugout.
Gonzalez, one of the best there is at throwing runners out from his position, recovered the ball as Francoeur bolted to second and made a great toss over the runner's outside shoulder to nail him.
When Mike Aviles followed with a double, it made that play that much more important. But Miller did escape on a fly to deep left-center field.
End 2nd, Royals 4-2: Two-out walks kill ya. Or they just lead to inning-ending outs at second base.
Yamaico Navarro earns a free pass with two down in the second. Darnell McDonald then grounds one to short, where Alcides Escobar goes the short route.
Huge inning here for Andrew Miller. Could be a huge inning for Alfredo Aceves if we see more of the same stuff.
Mid 2nd, Royals 4-2: It's one thing if you've given up five hits and a walk in two innings. Don't hurt yourself with an error, too.
That's what Andrew Miller did in the second, committing a throwing error that led to two unearned runs (always weird to say that when it's the pitcher that commits the error, but thems the rules).
Miller started the inning allowing a single and a walk. Alcides Escobar dropped down a bunt in front of the mound. Miller fielded but threw wide of first.
Everyone was safe. No outs. Danger.
Miller nearly escaped with a pop to short and a liner to short, but Billy Butler hammered a double to right to plate the two runs.
Had Miller made that play on the bunt, perhaps it never get that far. Either way, he's in another early hole.
End 1st, 2-2: The Red Sox go nearly five hours last night with just one run. They score twice in a span of a few minutes in this one.
Darnell McDonald walked, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on an Adrian Gonzalez sacrifice fly.
Dustin Pedroia then tripled off the wall in center, extending his career-long hitting streak to 23 games. It is his first triple of the run and it increases his lifetime average as a cleanup hitter to .533.
David Ortiz followed with a double and the game was tied. Just like that.
Carl Crawford struck out to end the inning. That was his fifth strikeout in his last six at-bats.
Mid 1st, Royals 2-0: Stop me if you've heard this before. Well, actually, it's not a joke, but we may have mentioned it before.
Andrew Miller struggles in the first inning. Almost all the time.
He has given up six runs in seven first innings this season after surrendering a pair in the top of the first. Melky Cabrera and Billy Butler both singled before Eric Hosmer doubled to center to plate on.
Jeff Francoeur's sacrifice fly led to another run.
Miller's career ERA in the first inning is now 7.48.
Cabrera and Hosmer are a combined 9-for-13 with a walk in the series.
7:10 p.m.: Andrew Miller's first pitch to Alex Gordon is a ball. We are under way on time, and feeling pretty good about it.
6:32 p.m.: If you went around the press box and took bets on this one being delayed, there might be a lot of people out a few bucks.
Everyone figured there would be a delay of some kind, but it's rather pleasant here right now. The crew is in the process of removing the tarp, Andrew Miller is marching to the bullpen and this one may actually start on time.
5:58 p.m.: They have yet to turn the lights on here at the park. Coupled with the color clouds overhead, it's turned Fenway into a rather grey place.
We expect something to happen soon, although it remains dry at this very second.
Keep it here for updates on any delays.
5:28 p.m.: The T word is being uttered around the park. No, not Tony, although I'm a pretty popular fella in some circles. There is word that a tornado could even touch down in or around the city.
More likely, we'll get a nasty storm, although it is not expected to last long. Red Sox officials released a statement, saying "conditions are expected to improve as the evening progresses."
The tarp is in position. The crew is just waiting for Kansas City to finish batting practice and it will probably go on. Then we can get set for another 16-hour night.
5:03 p.m.: As we monitor some storm clouds approaching the area, conveniently right around first pitch, we have a few updates to pass on.
Kevin Youkilis was probably going to be held out of the lineup today anyway as Terry Francona runs through days off for a handful of players.
The fact that Youkilis hurt his hammy last night just made it easier. Francona said Youkilis will be "fine," and was happy he got him out when he did.
Jacoby Ellsbury did not fight Francona when the manager approached the center fielder about a day off. Ellsbury's been a constant in the lineup and with 15 more games in a row without an off-day, and a lefty on the mound, now's a good time to give him a breather. Nothing physically wrong with Ellsbury.
Francona said Carl Crawford may be next in line for a day off. It wouldn't shock me to see Dustin Pedroia get one in the next week or so. He continues to limp on that troublesome right knee after most games. It might help Pedey to take a seat at some point, although Francona will certainly hear it from his second baseman if he tries to do that.
In other news, Clay Buchholz woke up with "general soreness" in his back today. This was to be expected, but the righty and the team will monitor him tonight and tomorrow before deciding if his next bullpen session comes Wednesday or Thursday. Also, Buchholz is going to touch base with all the medical people he has seen/talked to during this stretch, just to make sure he's good to go before taking that next step.
"Could be tomorrow," Francona said about Buchholz's next throwing session. "Some will depend on how he feels. As we turn him loose we want him to, everybody to feel good about him. It's getting pretty aggressive now, after yesterday, just want to kind of cover everything."
You already were told that Drew Sutton is here to take the spot of J.D. Drew on the roster. Drew is being placed on the DL for real this time. That leaves Darnell McDonald as the backup at all three spots in the outfield, with Yamaico Navarro an option in left.
Francona said he would rather stay away from Navarro in right. Sutton can play all four infield spots, so the Sox are pretty well covered position-wise right now.
Back with more in a bit.
3:29 p.m.: Well, we got a little more than we bargained for. Not only is Kevin Youkilis out, but so too is Jacoby Ellsbury against lefty Danny Duffy.
Here is the patchwork batting order:
Darnell McDonald, CF
Marco Scutaro, SS
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Carl Crawford, LF
Jason Varitek, C
Josh Reddick, RF
Yamaico Navarro, 3B
3:22 p.m.: Greetings from Fenway Park, where we expect to see a lineup without Kevin Youkilis in a few moments. Sit tight, and we'll have all the updates for you, including word on how many hours of sleep everyone received.
8:00 a.m.: The Red Sox will send Andrew Miller to the mound Tuesday night in an effort to bounce back from a miserable 14-inning loss to the Kansas City Royals.
In a game that began with a rain delay of more than two hours, Boston blew several scoring chances — many of them in the late innings — in a 3-1 setback to the Royals on Monday night. Six relievers threw a combined 8 2/3 innings, making Miller's effort tonight that much more important.
The lefty enters 4-1 with a 4.65 ERA after throwing 5 2/3 scoreless innings at Baltimore his last time out. He is 0-2 with a 10.61 ERA in his career vs. Kansas City.
The Royals counter with a lefty of their own — rookie Danny Duffy. He is coming off the finest start of his young career in a victory over Chicago that saw him allow two runs in seven innings.
First pitch is 7:10 p.m.
