Boston did sweep a three-game series at Fenway Park against the Rays from July 8-10.
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And they are getting contributions from up and down the roster.
Raul Mondesi’s three-run triple highlighted the Royals’ biggest inning in three years, and left-hander Matt Strahm pitched 2 2/3 innings of no-hit ball for the win.
Salvador Perez hit his third solo homer in two games for Kansas City, which took two of three at Fenway Park and got its 17th win in 21 games.
Kansas City is 5½ games behind the first-place Cleveland Indians in the AL Central. “I know he throws hard”, Mondesi said. It’s going to take all of us, myself, getting a little more hands-on and coaching these guys, trying to play it out how it’s going to happen before it actually does.
“I was just looking fastball”. He then bounced into the double play in the eighth.
BAT MEN: Down 2-0, the Rays rapped three straight hits to open the third and scored twice but didn’t do much else off Rick Porcello, who picked up his MLB-leading 18th win.
“Ventura just never really got in his groove”, Yost said.
The Red Sox won the two other games Odorizzi started against them this year, scoring nine runs in nine innings between the two games. However, the Red Sox hit into four double plays in the first five innings to hurt their attack.
A fan in the upper deck reached over the railing with his glove a foot or so and grabbed a foul ball behind home plate. The rally chased both losing starter Eduardo Rodriguez (2-6) and reliever Matt Barnes, who faced five batters and retired none.
“As hot as they are and the momentum they’ve been able to create, it was a tough, tough sixth inning, obviously, when you put eight runs up on the board”, Boston manager John Farrell said.
The loss was the fourth in the last five games for the Red Sox, who fell two games behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East. Boston (72-58) is a game ahead of the Baltimore Orioles for the first AL wild card.
Red Sox: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (2-5, 5.11) is expected to start for the first time since leaving his August 16 start with tightness in his left hamstring. Kansas City trailed 4-2 entering the sixth inning before erupting for its biggest inning in three years.
Facing them for the second time in five days, Andriese gave up a season-high seven runs in just four-plus innings as the Red Sox rode another solid start by Rick Porcello to 9-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night.
Ventura gave up four runs – three earned – in 4 1/3 innings.
Porcello became the majors’ first 18-game victor and the first Red Sox pitcher in 70 years to open a season 13-0 in Fenway Park, going seven solid innings in Boston’s 9-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night.
It was Ortiz’s 49th extra-base hit at Fenway this season. Donaldson had 50, and Ortiz has five weeks left to top that mark. The Red Sox could be without Dustin Pedroia for the opener against Tampa Bay as the second baseman left the team Sunday to attend the funeral of a family member and may not be back in time for the contest.
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Porcello will face fellow right-hander Matt Andriese in a rematch of a game last Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Fla. Neither Andriese and Porcello, 3-0 against the Rays this season, got a no-decision.
