BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox finally ran out of comebacks against the Kansas City Royals.
After scoring 25 runs in the previous two games, the Red Sox couldn’t overcome an early deficit against Luke Hochevar and the Royals, who held on for a 4-3 win Thursday afternoon.
Dustin Pedroia pulled Boston within one with a solo homer in the eighth, extending his hitting streak to 25 games, but that was all the offense the Red Sox could come up with after beating the Royals 13-9 and 12-5 in the previous two games.
“They were one better than us today,” said Pedroia, who has reached base in 37 straight games.
Billy Butler hit a three-run homer as Kansas City scored four in the fourth and Hochevar pitched seven strong innings to clinch a 2-2 series split for the Royals against the team with the best record in the American League.
Boston, which had to rally after falling behind in the last two games, took a 2-0 lead in the third, but the Royals came right back against starter Josh Beckett (9-4) in the fourth. Beckett walked Alex Gordon and Mitch Maier, then Butler blasted a 1-2 pitch over the wall in straightaway center.
Hochevar (7-8) allowed two runs on six hits and a walk while matching his season high for strikeouts with six. He retired 14 of the last 16 batters he faced and gave up just one extra-base hit, a third-inning double by Yamaico Navarro.
Hochevar left with a 4-2 lead, and Pedroia led off the eighth with a high home run over the Green Monster on a 3-2 pitch from Greg Holland.