James Paxton’s strong start, Boston’s 18 hits lifts Red Sox over Royals 9-5

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — James Paxton pitched six solid innings, Masataka Yoshida tied his career high with four of Boston’s 18 hits and the Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 9-5 on Monday night.

Boston, which has won four of its last five, now trails the Royals by 1 1/2 games for the final American League wild card spot.

“It was a humble approach,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We hit the ball all over the place. We ran the bases well. The kids did a great job in the bottom of the lineup.

“We just kept putting pressure on them. They have a good team; it took a lot. But give our guys credit, they showed up today and did their job. Now we have to win the series, either tomorrow or the next day.”

Paxton (9-3) allowed two runs on five hits to pick up his first win since being traded to the Red Sox by the Dodgers.

“I felt good out there,” Paxton said. “To have (Cora) have that confidence in me was awesome.”

Boston catcher Connor Wong said Paxton was exactly who the Red Sox thought they were getting in the trade.

“We knew from last year that he gets better as the game went on,” Wong said of Paxton, who had 19 starts with Boston in 2023. “He did that against us in L.A. That’s just who he is.”

Brady Singer (8-7) allowed four runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings. He allowed at least one hit in every inning.

“I thought he pitched well,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of Singer. “He really battled. They made a lot of contact, a lot of singles early. (Singer) couldn’t quite put them away. Where he was in the sixth, after giving up those two runs in the second, we had a really good chance to win that game.”

Singer wasn’t happy with his performance.

“I felt like the sinker in was going to be a huge part of it,” he said. “But I left a few over the middle of the plate and gave up a few hits on it.”

David Hamilton pulled a double down the right field line for Boston’s first run in the second. Jarren Duran added an RBI with a slow roller.

The Royals got on the board in the third. Kyle Isbel coaxed a one-out walk from Paxton and advanced to second on a groundout. Bobby Witt Jr. lined a single to right, scoring Isbel.

Michael Massey tripled off the top of the wall in right center in the fourth and scored when Freddy Fermin tapped one off the end of the bat that resulted in an RBI single.

Boston regained the lead in the sixth. Reliever Angel Zerpa gave up a line drive down the left field line to Duran, scoring two runs.

The Red Sox added four more runs off Zerpa, including two on Romy Gonzalez’s pinch-hit home run, before recording an out in the seventh.

“With a 2-0 count I thought he was going to challenge me,” Gonzalez said. “He made a pitch where I wanted it and I put a good swing on it.”

The Royals scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh off Cooper Criswell.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: OF Tyler O’Neill, who missed Boston’s last two games with an illness, was not in the lineup. Manager Alex Cora said O’Neill was “feeling better, but not great. Still available, but not starting.”

The Red Sox and Royals will play the second game of a three-game series Tuesday night. Boston will send RHP Brayan Bello (10-5, 5.13 ERA) to the mound to face RHP Seth Lugo (13-5, 2.57 ERA).

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