BOSTON — The Red Sox couldn’t hit Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans on Friday.
Ragans pitched seven innings, struck out seven and walked one batter, earning the win and leading Kansas City past Boston, 6-1.
Boston had a rough start to the game, allowing four runs in two innings. Cooper Criswell was shaky early in his return to the mound for the Red Sox, but bounced back, only giving up one more run in the top of the fourth inning, but Boston’s bats never came around.
Despite his slow start, Criswell threw a career-high 104 pitches in six innings of work, keeping the Red Sox from using more bullpen arms than they needed to. Criswell gave up eight hits, walked two and struck out one in the loss. Criswell’s appearance on the mound was his first since being sent down to Triple-A Worcester in June.
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Kansas City hit three-straight singles in the top of the first inning. Salvador Perez brought Adam Frazier in with a sacrifice fly to left field, marking the first out of the inning, but making it 1-0, Kansas City. From there, Criswell forced a ground out from Michael Massey and got former Red Sox player Hunter Renfroe to hit a fly-out to left field to get Boston out of the frame.
More damage was done in the second.
Melendez kicked off the inning by getting to second base off an error by Red Sox first baseman Romy Gonzalez. Maikel Garcia hit a sacrifice bunt to move Melendez to third and get an out on the board. Kyle Isbel brought him home during the next at bat with a single up the middle to make it 2-0. Two batters later, Vinnie Pasquatino hit a sacrifice fly to right field, bringing in Isbel from third to make it 3-0. Perez hit a RBI single to left field later in the frame, bringing home Frazier, making it 4-0.
Boston got on the board in the bottom of the second inning thanks to some two-out hitting.
Jamie Westbrook hit a first-pitch, stand-up double down the third base line with two outs on the board. Ceddanne Rafaela followed that up with a stand-up double of his own, this time in the in left-center gap, bringing home Westbrook and making the score 4-1.
Bobby Witt Jr. led-off the top of the fourth inning with a home run for Kansas City, his 16th of the season, over the center field wall to make it 5-1, but Criswell worked two ground outs and a pop-up during the following at bats to minimize the damage.
Boston’s defense put together back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the fifth and sixth, but struggled to move runners along the base paths.
The Red Sox had a good opportunity to generate offense in the bottom of the sixth inning with the top order, Rob Refsnyder, Duran and Tyler O’Neill, set to bat. Refsnyder got on with a lead-off walk, but Duran (strikeout), O’Neill (fly out) and Devers (strikeout) weren’t able to move him along the base paths.
Kansas City got an insurance run in the top of the eighth inning with a solo homer from Melendez off relief pitcher Greg Weissert to make it 6-1.
The Red Sox will be back in action on Saturday against the Royals at 4:10 p.m..
