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 Since then, Betts has been a hitting machine.
Betts stroked a career-high four hits and third baseman Pablo
Sandoval had his sixth straight two-hit game as the Boston Red Sox
pounded out a 7-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals Friday night.
"I'm not going to try it again," said Betts, who suffered a
lower-back injury with his wall collision. "I wouldn't recommend it
to anybody either. But a couple of days off and I got to get myself
together and just come out with a new attitude."
Betts went 4-for-5 and is 15-for-27 (.555) in a seven-game hitting
streak.
"It's more mentally, not necessarily physically," Betts said. "I got
a chance to talk to some guys. I talked a little more in detail
since I had days off. I got to watch and analyze."
Sandoval doubled and singled to extend his hitting streak to nine
games.
Left fielder Hanley Ramirez homered, his 14th, in the fifth.
The Red Sox collected 16 hits, the most allowed by the Royals in a
game this season.
The offensive splurge made it comfortable for rookie left-hander
Eduardo Rodriguez (3-1) to pick up the victory. Rodriguez allowed
one run on six hits in 6 1/3 innings, throwing 104 pitches.
"I was finding both corners of the plate, so that's what I think is
way different from the last start," said Rodriguez, who allowed nine
runs in 4 2/3 innings against Toronto in his previous start.
First baseman Eric Hosmer homered in the eighth for the second
Royals run. Shortstop Christian Colon and third baseman Mike
Moustakas hit back-to-back doubles with two out in the ninth for the
final run.
The Red Sox batted around in a five-run second, which was
highlighted by catcher Blake Swihart's two-run double to right.
First baseman Mike Napoli also had two RBIs with shortstop Xander
Bogaerts and Pablo Sandoval scoring on his single. Betts' two-out
single scored Swihart with the final run.
Right-hander Yohan Pino, who was called up from Triple-A Omaha to
replace injured right-hander Yordano Ventura in the rotation, threw
31 pitches in the inning. Pino made six relief appearances earlier
this season for Kansas City, but this was his first big league start
since Aug. 23 while with the Twins.
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"He had the rough second inning, but did a nice job of being able to
get us through five," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "From a
manager's standpoint, you're looking at how am I going to get
through this game without depleting my pitching staff for the next
two days. He settled down after the second inning. It enabled us to
get through the rest of the game with just (Brandon) Finnegan and
(Luke) Hochevar."
The Red Sox hiked their lead to 6-0 in the fifth when Ramirez
homered with two outs.
Second baseman Omar Infante and shortstop Alcides Escobar doubled in
the bottom of the fifth for the first Royals run. It was also the
first run Rodriguez had allowed this season on the road.
"He has good stuff," Hosmer said. It's the first time we've faced
him and the first time through you want to see what he's got and
what his stuff looks like. We just couldn't get anything going the
second and third times through."
NOTES: 3B Pablo Sandoval returned to the Red Sox lineup after he was
benched Thursday for using his cellphone during the game Wednesday.
... Royals RHP Kris Medlen threw 60 pitches in four innings Friday
for Double-A Northwest Arkansas at Springfield (Mo.) in his first
rehab assignment. He allowed three runs, two unearned, on four hits,
while striking out five and walking none. ... 2B Dustin Pedroia was
held out of the Red Sox lineup for the third night in four games
with left knee inflammation. ... Red Sox RHP Rick Porcello will try
to snap a personal five-game losing streak when he starts Saturday.
The Royals will counter with RHP Edinson Volquez.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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