Ian Kennedy took the mound in the top of the first and got Mr. Mookie Betts to fly out. Dustin Pedroia flied out and Xander Bogaerts struck out to end the inning. The Royals wasted no time scoring in the bottom of the first. Alcides Escobar singled and stole second as Lorenzo Cain struck out. Eric Hosmer bashed a 2 run bomb to put the Royals up 2-0 just like that. Kenrys Morales grounded out and Alex Gordon flied out to end the inning.
David Ortiz grounded out to begin the top of the second. Travis Shaw singled but Josh Rutledge struck out. Jackie Bradley Jr flied out to end the inning. Chesler Cuthbert struck out but Christian Colon walked. Drew Butera banged into a double play to end the inning.
Kennedy remained red hot in the top of the third. Chris Young, Ryan Hanigan and Mr. Mookie all struck out in short order. Wright hung tough in the bottom of the third. Jarrod Dyson grounded out, Escobar grounded out and Cain grounded out to end the inning.
The Sox struck back in the top of the fourth. Pedroia doubled and Bogaerts singled him over to third. Ortiz singled to score Pedroia and advance Bogaerts to third to cut the lead 2-1. The rally ended as Shaw struck out, Rutledge struck out and JBJ grounded out to end the inning. Wright remained tough in the bottom of the frame. Hosmer grounded out and Morales flied out. Gordon struck out to end the inning.
The Sox tied the game in the top of the fifth. Chris Young blasted a solo home run to give the Sox life. Hanigan and Mr. Mookie grounded out but Pedroia walked. A wild pitch moved Pedroia to second but Bogaerts grounded out to end the inning. Cuthbert popped up to open the bottom of the fifth. Colon flied out and Butera grounded out to end the inning.
Ortiz singled to open the top of the sixth but both Shaw and Rutledge struck out. That was it for Kennedy as Brian Flynn replaced him. JBJ Struck out to end the inning. The Royals took command in the bottom of the sixth. Dyson tripled but Escobar popped up. Cain scored Dyson with a sac fly and Hosmer grounded out to end the inning. Just like that.
Luke Hochevar took over in the top of the seventh and struck out the side. Young, Hanigan and Mr. Mookie all went down on strikes. Wright returned for the bottom of the seventh and got Morales to ground out. Gordon flied out but Cuthbert singled. Colon flied out to end the inning.
Kelvin Herrera took the mound for the top of the eighth. Pedroia lined out but Bogaerts singled. Ortiz singled but Bogaerts was foolishly thrown out at third. The tying run was still on base and Shaw flied out to end the inning. Wright came back for one more inning in the bottom of the eighth. Butera and Dyson both struck out but Escobar singled, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Cain struck out to end the inning. What a great start by Wright once again wasted by no run support.
Royals closer Wade Davis was up for the Sox in the top of the ninth. Brock Holt pinch hit for Rutledge and grounded out. JBJ extended his hitting streak to 23 games with a single to represent the tying run. Marco Hernandez pinch hit for Chris Young and just barely beat out a double-play ball. Hanley Ramirez pinch hit for Hanigan and flied out to end the game. The Royals had taken Game 1 of the double-header 3-2.
Jackass of the night is a tough one. Wright pitched his heart out so I have to go with Mookie Betts. He was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts. As the leadoff hitter, he was supposed to set up the offense and he did nothing.
The Good:
Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4. David Ortiz was 3 for 4 with an rbi. Chris Young was 1 for 3 with a home run. This is becoming a theme but Steven Wright makes it to the good list despite a loss. He tossed a complete game giving up 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk. He struck out 6 and his ERA is at 2.52.
The Bad:
Josh Rutledge was 0 for 3 with a hat trick. Brock Holt was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter. Marco Hernandez was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter. Ryan Hanigan was 0 for 3. Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.
The Ugly:
Travis Shaw was just 1 for 4. Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4, extending his hitting streak to 23 games.
Final Thoughts:
That sucked. Losing 2 of 3 to the Royals was not on the itinerary and now they have a chance to be swept in a couple of hours. The only bright spot is Wright went the distance, saving the bullpen for tonight's nightcap in case David Price sucks. The loss drops the Sox to 24-16, one game behind Baltimore for first place in the AL East. Edison Volquez matches up against Price in the nightcap.
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