Salvador Perez hit two home runs as the Kansas City Royals emphatically curbed a six-game skid, defeating the visiting Boston Red Sox 13-2 on Friday night.
Perez’s 3-for-5, four-RBI night led a Royals offense that totaled four homers and 17 hits. Bobby Witt Jr. (3-for-5) and Nelson Velazquez also left the yard as part of multi-hit efforts for Kansas City (42-94).
Nick Loftin went 2-for-3 with an RBI double and a run in his major league debut. Maikel Garcia (2-for-4, two RBIs) and Freddy Fermin (2-for-4, run) also were key contributors for the Royals.
Jordan Lyles (4-15) pitched eight innings for the third time in five starts, striking out seven while allowing four hits and a two-out, two-run home run by Alex Verdugo in the eighth.
The Red Sox (69-66) dropped their fifth straight.
Boston starter James Paxton (7-5) struggled from nearly the jump as Witt ripped a solo homer down the left field line with one out in the first. Perez made it back-to-back when he struck his 20th of the season out to left-center.
After Lyles’ second straight 1-2-3 inning, Kansas City immediately loaded the bases on a Velazquez leadoff double and two walks. Kyle Isbel’s fielder’s choice extended the lead to 3-0. A wild pitch moved Isbel to second and set up Garcia for a run-scoring single to left, ending Paxton’s night.
With Mauricio Llovera in from Boston’s bullpen, a Witt RBI grounder and a Perez RBI single to center followed.
Paxton was charged with six runs on five hits in 1 1/3 innings. He walked two without recording a strikeout.
Connor Wong’s two-out single in the third was the first Boston hit.
In the bottom of the third, Loftin’s first major league hit was a wall-ball double that scored Drew Waters, who had hit a two-out single.
The newcomer got Kansas City’s six-run sixth inning started with a leadoff single to right, and he scored on Isbel’s double into the left field corner. Garcia followed with another RBI knock before Perez launched a two-run homer to center two batters later.
After Fermin hit a two-out single, Velazquez brought him home on a two-run homer to left-center to increase the rout to 13-0.
In the eighth, Luis Urias was hit by a pitch two batters before Boston got on the board on Verdugo’s homer to right.
–Field Level Media
