Red Sox Wrap: Boston’s Pitching Dominates To Secure Win Vs. Royals

The Boston Red Sox defeated the Kansas City Royals, 2-0, to end their four-game series at Fenway Park on a high note on Thursday night.

With the victory, the Red Sox improved to 60-55 while the Royals fell to 37-80.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Boston hadn’t been able to rely on its pitching since the initial start of the 10-game homestand.

Dodging a near-rain delay at Fenway Park, the Red Sox received a major helping hand on the mound from starting pitcher James Paxton. The left-hander kept Kansas City’s lineup, which scored 14 runs in the first three games of the series, completely at bay for 5 1/3 innings — laying down the foundation for a win.

The offense wasn’t spectacular, totaling just eight hits and going 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position, but they provided enough to support a shutdown effort from the pitching staff.

Right-handed relievers John Schreiber, Josh Winckowski, Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen closed the door on the Royals, keeping them scoreless for the final 3 2/3 frames. That bullpen crew also held Kansas City to just one hit, combining to rack up four strikeouts. Simultaneously, Boston’s run at the postseason was also assisted.

With the Toronto Blue Jays losing earlier in the day, the Red Sox gained some ground, now four games back in the American League wild-card race.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Paxton returned to regular form, tossing 5 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing six hits and zero walks to the Royals while striking out six hitters. That marked the 34-year-old’s first scoreless outing since June 30 against the Blue Jays.

— Adam Duvall plated Boston’s second run of the night, going 2-for-4 with a double. The 34-year-old previously recorded just one hit through eight at-bats in the series when facing Kansas City pitching.

— Alex Verudgo went 0-for-3 at the plate, but did provide the first run for Boston, hitting the sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to give the Red Sox the lead.

WAGER WATCH
FanDuel Sportsbook set the odds of Trevor Story hitting a double at +300 entering the contest. Having gone 0-for-8 with six strikeouts through the first two games of the season, Story recorded hit No. 1 of the year and cleared the odds in the fourth inning. A $100 bet placed on Story would’ve netted a $400 total payout.

ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox will wrap up their homestand with a three-game series against Detroit Tigers, which starts Friday night. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game, plus a full hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN.