The Boston Red Sox are doing what they have to do against the Kansas City Royals.
Chris Sale was dominant in a very efficient, overpowering outing in which he chucked a complete game shutout, paving the way for an 8-0 win Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium. The Sox offense scored twice in the first and never looked back.
Rafael Devers clubbed his ninth home run of the season and added three RBIs as the Sox laced 11 base hits.
Sale picked up his second win of the season, while Jakob Junis took the loss for Kansas City.
The Red Sox climbed to 32-29 with the win, while the Royals fell to 19-42 with the loss.
Here’s how it all went down:
GAME IN A WORD
Immaculate.
The Red Sox took an early lead and gave Sale some much-needed run support early and often.
ON THE BUMP
— Sale gave perhaps his most efficient outing the of the season in the 300th appearance of his career.
The lefty carved through the Royals lineup with relative ease, dicing the zone with a nasty slider and a fastball that reached 98 mph. Sale never allowed more than one baserunner in a single inning and never allowed a runner to get past first base.
Sale seemingly got better as the night went along. He did not allow a runner to reach after the fifth inning and struck out the side in the eighth on nine pitches, his second immaculate inning of the season. He retired the last 15 batters he faced.
He finished with 12 strikeouts while throwing 102 pitches and allowed just three hits with no walks.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Boston put up a crooked number right from the get go.
Mookie Betts walked to lead things off, then moved up to third after a wild pitch and an Andrew Benintendi single. Devers plated Betts by beating out a fielder’s choice. Xander Bogaerts then reached on an error, setting up an RBI single from Brock Holt to make it 2-0.
— The Red Sox added on in the fifth after doubles from Benintendi and Devers made it 3-0.
Boston then had the bases loaded for Jackie Bradley Jr. with two outs. Bradley sent a ball the other way and over the head of left fielder Alex Gordon for a bases-clearing double that made it 6-0 and chased Junis from the game.
— Devers led off the seventh by sending the first pitch of the inning over the wall in right-center field.
The Sox would add another in the frame after loading the bases. Sandy Leon hit a sacrifice fly to deep center to bring home Holt to make it 8-0.
— Benintendi and Holt each had three hits. while Devers had two. Bradley, Leon and Michael Chavis each had a knock. Betts, J.D. Martinez and Bogaerts were hitless.
TWEET OF THE DAY
Superb.
UP NEXT
The Red Sox finish up their three-game set against the Royals on Thursday. First pitch from Kauffman Stadium is slated for 1:15 p.m. ET. Ryan Weber is expected to get the start for Boston, and will opposed by Danny Duffy.
