Suárez spins seven, Abreu breaks it open as Red Sox handle Royals 5-1
Ranger Suárez struck out eight without a walk and Wilyer Abreu's two-run double snapped a sixth-inning tie as Boston stopped a three-game slide and protected its wild-card cushion.
With September pressure mounting and a three-game losing streak in the books, Boston got exactly the start it needed. Ranger Suárez carved through Kansas City for seven innings — five hits, one run, no walks, eight strikeouts — and the Red Sox beat the Royals 5-1 at Fenway Park on Saturday, per Boston.com.
The turning point
This one pivoted in the sixth. Royals catcher Carter Jensen tied it 1-1 with his 24th home run of the season, curled around the Pesky Pole. Kansas City starter Randy Dobnak had matched Suárez to that point, holding Boston to one run into the sixth — but once he was lifted at 5⅔ innings, the game turned in an at-bat. Wilyer Abreu ripped a two-run double off reliever Anthony Gose to make it 3-1, and the Red Sox never looked back.
Nick Sogard added an RBI double, with Adley Rutschman and Caleb Durbin driving in the others on singles, according to NBC Boston. The footnote from the Kansas City side: Bobby Witt Jr. reached 40 stolen bases for the second time in his career.
Why it matters
Boston came in reeling — swept up in a skid, with the Royals having taken Friday's opener — and left the weekend back in rhythm, following up with a 4-1 win on Sunday. The Red Sox sit 82-68, third in the AL East and holding the second of the AL's three wild-card spots, the kind of position where every series in mid-September is really about keeping the chasers at arm's length. For the 66-84 Royals, last in the AL Central, the games now are about 2027: Jensen's power surge behind the plate is the most interesting thing left on their season.