Red Sox Wrap: Kutter Crawford Dominates Royals In Shutout Win

The Boston Red Sox defeated the Kanas City Royals, 5-0, at Fenway Park on Saturday evening, responding amid a critical weekend series before the MLB All-Star break.

With the win, the Red Sox improved to 52-42 while the Royals dropped to 52-44.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Boston endured a hiccup loss to begin the three-game set Friday night, but with a chance to even up the series and set up a rubber match, right-hander Kutter Crawford delivered.

Crawford rewarded a much-improved offensive showing from the lineup by making easy work of Kansas City’s lineup. Through seven innings, the Royals had only managed to draw one walk and collect one base hit, courtesy of Crawford’s latest gem on the mound. In fact, it was Kansas City’s No. 9 hitter Garrett Hampson who was responsible for keeping the Royals from going hitless into the eighth inning — hitting a double in the third inning.

It was the first time in Crawford’s four-year career that the 28-year-old pitched into the eighth inning, speaking volumes to the trust earned by manager Alex Cora. Crawford surrendered a single to Kansas City’s Maikel Garcia before Boston handed it off to the bullpen and called upon Zack Kelly to make an appearance.

Five runs proved to be more than enough scoring production for the Red Sox to create some separation from the Royals — Boston now leads by a game — for the final wild-card spot in the American League standings.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Crawford was excellent, yet again, throwing seven-plus scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out four hitters, improving to 6-7 with a 3.04 ERA.

— Rafael Devers went 2-for-4 at the plate with a solo home run, which put the 27-year-old ahead of legendary Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek for the 11th-most homers (194) in a Boston uniform.

— Royals reliever Kris Bucic supplied two innings of scoreless relief, allowing one hit and striking out two batters.

ON DECK AT NESN
The Red Sox and Royals will finish off the series on Sunday afternoon. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game, along with a full hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN.