The game began with a challenge as Whit Merrifield singled to center to start and took second on the throw....but wait! Sox manager Alex Cora challenged the call and Whit was called out at second. Alex Gordon struck out swinging and Hunter Dozier grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the first as Mr. Mookie Betts popped up to second to start. Rafael Devers whiffed but JD Martinez singled to left. Andrew Benintendi took strike three to end the inning.
Soler began his big day with a walk to start the top of the second but was forced by Cheslor Cuthbert. Ryan O'Hearn banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox threatened in the bottom of the second as Brock "The Hitman" Holt grounded out to second to start. Christian Vazquez and Mitch Moreland stroked back to back singles but Michael Chavis flied out to right. Jackie Bradley Jr flied out to center to end the inning.
Cashner cruised in the top of the third as Bubba Starling whiffed to start. Meibrys Viloria went down hacking and Nicky Lopez grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the third although Mr. Mookie struck out swinging to start. Devers doubled to left but Martinez flied out to center. Benintendi singled to right to score Devers to put Boston on top. Holt singled Benintendi to third but Vazquez flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.
The Royals wasted no time getting the lead in the top of the fourth inning as Merrifield flied out to right to start. Gordon grounded out to short but Dozier walked. That walk hurt as Soler crushed his 30th home run of the year all the way to Antarctica to give the Royals the lead. Cuthbert grounded out to short to end the inning but the Royals led 2-1.
The Sox tried to fight back in the bottom of the fourth although Moreland flied out to center to start. Chavis singled to left and moved to second on the JBJ grounder. Mr. Mookie walked but Devers flied out to center to end the inning.
The Royals got another run in the top of the fifth when O'Hearn cracked one into the Charles River to increase the lead. Starling whiffed, Viloria grounded out to short and Lopez grounded back to the mound to end the inning but it was 3-1 Royals.
Naturally once the Sox fell behind, they never came back. Martinez took strike three to start the bottom of the fifth before Benintendi grounded out to short. Holt grounded back to the mound to end the inning.
The Royals finished off Cashner in the top of the sixth as Merrifield singled and took second on a wild pitch. Merrifield moved to third on the Gordon grounder and scored on the Dozier base hit to right. Soler then smashed one into the Monster Seats to effectively end the game. That was it for Cashner who departed putting the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of, allowing 6 runs in just 5 1/3 innings. Josh Taylor came in and got O'Hearn to bang into a double play to end the inning with the Royals ahead 6-1.
The Sox responded by beating the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the sixth. Vazquez grounded out to third, Moreland grounded out to first and Chavis grounded out to second to end the inning.
Taylor froze Starling for strike three to start the top of the seventh and Viloria grounded out to second. Lopez walked but Merrifield grounded into a force to end the inning. Richard Lovelady came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and JBJ grounded out to second to start. Mr. Mookie flied out to center and Devers grounded out to third to end the inning.
Marcus Walden came in for the top of the eighth and Gordon grounded out to second to start. Dozier popped up to second but Soler walked. Cuthbert hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. The Sox had a too little too late rally in the bottom of the eighth as Martinez pounded a ground rule double to right to start. Benintendi and Holt flied out to left but Vazquez doubled home JD to cut the lead. Moreland took strike three to end the inning with the Sox down 6-2.
Darwinzon Hernandez brought the heat in the top of the ninth inning. Hernandez struck out O'Hearn swinging on a nasty slider to start. Starling was blown away on a 96 MPH fastball and Viloria took strike three to end the inning.
Ian Kennedy came on to close out the bottom of the ninth and Chavis grounded out to second to start. JBJ grounded out to second and Mr. Mookie lined out to center to end the game. The Royals sent the Sox to their 9th loss in 10 games with a 6-2 defeat.
Jackass of the Night is Andrew Cashner. He allowed 6 runs in 5 1/3 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't get out of.
The Good:
JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.
Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.
Josh Taylor tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Marcus Walden pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
Darwinzon Hernandez struck out the side in the top of the ninth.
The Bad:
Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4.
The Ugly:
Mookie Betts was 0 for 4 with a walk.
Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a run scored.
Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.
Brock Holt was just 1 for 4.
Mitch Moreland was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.
Michael Chavis was just 1 for 4.
Final Thoughts:
This season went south real fast. Going into August the Sox were starting to pick things up but getting wiped out in 8 straight games by the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays put the kibosh on any playoff plans. Losing to the lousy Royals just puts the exclamation point on a lost season. Once again when the Sox fell behind, they didn't come back. As soon as Kansas City took the 2-1 lead, it was all but over. Cashner sucked but can't win too many games when you score just 2 runs. The good news is Darwinzon Hernandez looks like a good find and he brought the heat. Cashner has been a titanic bust since Dave Dombrowski traded for him and today was just another nail in the coffin on that trade. Dombrowski has hell to pay for standing pat at the trade deadline after the Sox have just dropped 9 of 10. As for now, the less said of this disaster the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 60-56, 15.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox look to end the series with the Royals with a win. Eduardo Rodriguez goes for the Sox up against Glenn Sparkman at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.
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