Red Sox 7, Royals 1
Slumping Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a three-run homer and Andrew Miller pitched effectively into the sixth inning as the Boston Red Sox cruised past host Kansas City 7-1 Friday night.
The victory allowed the Red Sox to keep pace with the New York Yankees, who rolled past the Minnesota Twins 8-1. Boston trails New York by a half-game atop the AL East standings.
Saltalamacchia provided the big blow in Boston's second straight win over Kansas City. Coming into the game hitting just .162 in August, the veteran catcher belted a shot to left field off Royals starter Jeff Francis (4-14) in the fifth for his career-best 12th homer of the season.
Miller (5-1) made it stand with one of his most impressive outings of the season. The veteran lefty, who came in with a career ERA of 11.08 versus the Royals, held them to a run on three hits over 5 1/3 innings for his first win in five starts.
Francis was charged with five runs on 11 hits over five innings. The southpaw has just one victory over his last 12 starts dating to June 10.
Every Boston starter had at least one hit except for second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who was dealt a pair of intentional walks.
Alex Gordon's RBI sacrifice fly in the third inning provided the lone offense for the Royals, who have dropped 12 of 15.