MLB

The Red Sox got another strong pitching performance from Kutter Crawford and Dominic Smith collected 2 hits and a pair of RBIs in helping the Red Sox to a 5-0 win over the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park Saturday afternoon.  With the win, the Sox even the series up at 1-1 and will go for the series in the final game before the All-Star Break on Sunday.

Red Sox table setters Jarren Duran and David Hamilton got things going in the home first inning against Seth Lugo, but the Sox failed to score.  Duran doubled to get things going and Hamilton walked but they were stranded at 2nd and 3rd.  

The Sox broke through in the 2nd against Lugo.  Smith reached with a 1-out single and scored all the way from 1st on a double from Reese McGuire.  

In the 3rd inning, the Red Sox scored 3 more runs against Lugo.  Wilyer Abreu with a ground-run double and that plated Masa Yoshida.  Smith then made it 4-0 with a 2-run single.  Rafael Devers hit his 22nd home run of the season in the 5th inning and that made it 5-0.  

Crawford improved to 6-7 with the victory.  The right-hander allowed just 2 hits over 7+ innings.  The first hit he allowed was a one-out double to Garrett Hampson in the 3rd inning.  He took the mound for the 8th inning, but was removed after giving up a leadoff single to Maikel Garcia.  

Zack Kelly came out of the bullpen and on the first pitch he threw he got Hampson to hit into a 6-4-3 double play and then got the 3rd out with a ground ball.  Kelly threw 3 pitches and got 3 outs.  Kelly came back for the 9th, and he retired the first two hitters with strikeouts.  Salvador Perez and Hunter Renfroe both reached with 2-out singles.  Kelly then got MJ Melendez on a ground out.           

Crawford walked 1 and struck out 4.  He was 24 of 26 on 1st-pitch strikes and threw 96 pitches (76 strikes) over 7+ innings.

Locked On Red Sox POSTCAST NOTES- The Red Sox have won 3 straight starts and 4 of the last 5 starts made by Crawford.

It was Crawford's 4th scoreless outing of the season.  
With the home run in the 5th, Devers passed Jason Varitek for 11th on the Red Sox all-time home run list.

Sox will have their 3rd opportunity this week to go to 11 games over .500 for the first time this season with Sunday's finale.  

The Red Sox are 19-8 over their last 27 games and Sunday they'll look win their 4th straight series.  

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