Benintendi Stays Hot As Red Sox Sweep Royals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Rick Porcello pitched seven effective innings, Andrew Benintendi had four hits and scored twice, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 7-4 on Sunday.
The Red Sox hit .385, 45 for 111, and had 68 base runners in sweeping the three-game series. Boston has won six straight and 13 of 16.
Porcello (11-3) allowed three runs on nine hits before leaving after 111 pitches. He struck out nine, matching his season high, and walked one. Craig Kimbrel got the final two outs for his 27th save in 29 chances.
Benintendi extended his on-base streak to 11 straight — seven hits and four walks — before striking out in the eighth.
Drew Butera singled and Whit Merrifield doubled to lead off the Kansas City seventh, but Porcello stranded them by striking out Jorge Bonifacio and Mike Moustakas and retiring Lucas Duda on a fly ball.
Eduardo Nunez drove in two Boston runs with singles in the fourth and seventh. Mitch Moreland walked with the base loaded in the fifth and singled in a run in the seventh. Xavier Bogaerts also contributed an RBI-double in a three-run seventh.
Merrifield singled in a run in the ninth for his first five-hit game. Bonifacio drove in two KC runs with a third-inning double.
Heath Fillmyer (0-1), who was making his first big league start, allowed four runs, one unearned, on eight hits and three walks. Fillmyer was filling in for Jakob Junis, who went on the disabled list with back tightness.
The Royals, who turned five double plays, lost their ninth straight to match their longest of skid this season and are 4-27 in their last 31 games. They are 38 games below .500 for the first time since ending the 2006 season 62-100.
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