Red Sox Wrap: Boston Bounces Back With Fast Start

The Boston Red Sox snapped a five-game losing streak Saturday, capturing a 9-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

The Red Sox improved to 70-66 on the season, while the Royals fell to 42-95.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
There’s nothing that a good old-fashioned butt whooping can’t fix.

Just one day after suffering an 11-run defeat at the hands of the Royals, the Red Sox poured it on in Kansas City to bounce back and secure their first victory in a week.

Boston scored early and often, collecting nine runs on 13 hits throughout the contest. Things got hairy in the sixth inning when Tanner Houck loaded the bases, but Josh Winckowski was able to come on and limit the damage with the margin being wide enough for him to pitch to contact.

That was essentially the story. The Red Sox got out to an early lead, which allowed Houck and the subsequent relievers to throw strikes and not beat themselves. It was just the 13th time in the last 26 games one of Boston’s starting pitchers was able to last at least five innings.

It seems so simple.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Alex Verdugo is raking. He went 3-for-5 from Boston’s leadoff spot, scoring the first run of the ballgame.

— Triston Casas continued his recent tear by going 2-for-4 from the plate with a home run. He finished with 2 RBIs while scoring a pair of runs on his own.

— MJ Melendez must have personal beef with the Red Sox or something. He’s gone 10-for-19 against Boston this season, collecting four home runs and six RBIs along the way.

The 24-year-old added two singles and a home run Saturday to improve his batting average to .526 against the Red Sox this season.

WAGER WATCH
Casas’ first-inning home run had a chance to make bettors some money, with DraftKings Sportsbook giving him +350 odds to belt one out. That means a $100 bet would have netted you a $450 payout.

ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox and Royals will wrap up their three-game set on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET and will air live on NESN following an hour of pregame coverage.