Royals Recap: Royals Take 3 Of 4 From The Boston Red Sox

Wins against the White Sox, Twins, and Mets are all very nice but when you are a team trying to establish your legitimacy, three wins in 4 games against the best team in the AL East, those victories seem all the sweeter. The Kansas City Royals (61-54) capped off their series victory with a 4-3 win against the Boston Red Sox (71-49).

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

On the Mound

James Shields struggled mightily in his last outing but he recovered nicely in this big, final game of the Red Sox series. He worked 7 strong frames, giving up 3 runs ( 1 unearned) on 7 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 5.

Tim Collins, Aaron Crow, and Greg Holland combined for 2 scoreless, hitless innings, with Holland saving his 32 games of the season.

At the Plate

The Royals did all their damage in the first three frames and the pitching made those 4 runs hold out. Alex Gordon was 3-4 with a home run, a run scored, and 2 RBI, and was the only Royals with more than one hit. Only Eric Hosmer and Elliot Johnson were without a base knock among the starters.

This and That

Greg Holland nailed down his 25th straight save, moving ahead of Royal Hall-of-Famer Jeff Montgomery for the second longest such streak in team history. Joakim Soria‘s team record is 36.

Here are some numbers from Holland’s season thus far. He has pitched in 47 games and has accumulated 46 innings. He has allowed 8 earned runs on 29 hits and 12 walks. He has struck out 74. His ERA is 1.57, his WHIP .891, and his Strikeouts Per 9 Innings is an incredible 14.5.

The Royals have won 18 games out of 23 since the All-Star break, and 16 of their last 19.

After the game, the Royals acquired infielder Jamey Carroll from the Minnesota Twins to replace Miguel Tejada, who was placed on the DL for a strained right calf.

KC Kingdom Player of the Game

There are two KCK POG’s for Sunday’s game. Alex Gordon gets his team high 14th, and Greg Holland, in recognition of his 25 consecutive saves, also gets a nod. It is strange that it is Holland’s first POG of the season. Usually, if he pitches, it means someone has already done something special to place the Royals in that position. It is kind of the nature of the beast. It doesn’t mean Holland hasn’t been incredibly valuable (gigantic, obvious, understatement).

Aug 11, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Greg Holland (56) delivers a pitch against the Boston Red Sox during the ninth inning at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

• James Shields – 9
• Alex Gordon – 14
  
• Wade Davis – 5
• Lorenzo Cain – 8
• Luis Mendoza – 3
• Billy Butler – 9
• Ervin Santana – 8
• Miguel Tejada – 5
  
• Jeremy Guthrie -5
• Eric Hosmer – 11
• Chris Getz
• Mike Moustakas – 6
  
• Aaron Crow
• Jarrod Dyson – 3
  
• David Lough – 8
• Alcides Escobar – 5
• J.C. Gutierrez
• Jeff Francoeur
• Bruce Chen – 3
• Salvador Perez – 4
• Will Smith – 1
  
• George Kottaras
• Louis Coleman – 2
  
• Bruce Chen
• Justin Maxwell – 2
• Greg Holland

The Red Sox

Jacoby Ellsbury, who had 7 hits in the first 3 games of the series, went 0-5 on Sunday. Stephen Drew and Ryan Lavarnway each had 2 hits for the  Sox in this game.

Veteran John Lackey matched up well with James Shields. He also went 7 strong, giving up 4 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks. He struck out just one though. Alex Gordon’s home run off Lackey in the third ended up being the difference in the game.

Up Next

The Miami Marlins come to town for three starting tonight. Hopefully, the Royals won’t have a let down going from one of the best teams in baseball to one of the worst. They need to maintain their drive, focus, and intensity, and they can’t afford to slip up now.

Wade Davis (5-9, 5.42 ERA) returns after missing a week due to a death in the family. Tom Koehler (3-7, 4.40 ERA) will go for the Marlins.

There is good chance Alex Gordon may miss a game or two in this series as his wife his due to give birth any day now.

AL Central Notes

Detroit Tigers (69-47): The Tigers scored 2 in the top of the 9th to tie the Yankees but gave up a run in the bottom of the 9th to lose 5-4. Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez each homered in the 9th to forge that tie. Brayan Pena hit a round tripper earlier in the contest.

Cleveland Indians (63-55): The Indians came storming back from a 5-run deficit to beat the Angels 6-5. Nick Swisher, Mike Aviles, and Carlos Santana all homered in the game. The win ended a brutal 7 game losing skid for Cleveland.

Minnesota Twins (52-63): Kevin Correia threw 7 shut out innings to beat the White Sox 5-2. The Twins scored all 5 of their runs in the 5th inning off of a 3-run dinger by Brian Dozier and a 2-run shot from Joe Mauer.

Chicago White Sox (44-72): The White Sox couldn’t muster any offense all day until the 9th, when Adam Dunn and Conor Gillaspie hit solo shots in Chicago’s 5-2 loss against Minnesota.