Willson Contreras hit his team-leading 10th homer and Sonny Gray limited the Royals to one run as the Boston Red Sox beat Kansas City 3-1 on Monday night. Heavy thunderstorms pushed the first pitch back 30 minutes, and the Royals’ rotation took another hit whe
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Monday night in Kansas City began with a delay that hung over everything.
The first pitch was moved up 30 minutes because heavy thunderstorms were forecast later in the night, and by the time the game settled into its rhythm, the Red Sox had found theirs behind Sonny Gray.
Gray (5-1) delivered a strong outing, allowing one run on five hits in six-plus innings. He struck out nine and walked one. Since returning from the injured list on May 6, Gray has given up two runs over 16 innings, a 1.13 ERA.
Willson Contreras made sure the Red Sox wouldn’t waste that momentum. He hit his team-leading 10th homer—an estimated 435-foot shot to left-center off Seth Lugo—putting Boston ahead 2-0 after the Royals had already found a couple of baserunners.
The Red Sox added another run through Jarren Duran’s sacrifice fly in the seventh. Jac Caglianone doubled in the bottom half, driving in the Royals’ lone tally, but Boston held on for a 3-1 win.
After Gray left, three relievers followed him. Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth and worked for his 11th save in as many opportunities for Boston.
Lugo (1-4) took the loss for Kansas City, allowing two runs on five hits in six innings.
Kansas City’s struggles weren’t new—its loss extended to a stretch that now includes seven defeats in eight games. In the fifth, the Royals got back-to-back hits off Gray. Michael Massey lined a double off the glove of left fielder Masataka Yoshida. Kyle Isbel followed with a single into left. but Yoshida threw out Massey at the plate to keep the damage in check.
Later, the turning point for Boston came after Lugo gave up a bloop single to Mickey Gasper leading off the sixth. With one out, Contreras connected for the two-run homer.
The night also carried a second kind of uncertainty for the Royals: the lineup that begins Tuesday.
Ranger Suarez (2-2, 2.44 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Red Sox as the series continues Tuesday. For Kansas City, the team will use a bullpen game because Kris Bubic was placed on the 15-day injured list on Monday, retroactive to May 15, with left elbow soreness.
Boston Red Sox Kansas City Royals Sonny Gray Willson Contreras Seth Lugo Aroldis Chapman Ranger Suarez Kris Bubic MLB