|
 When Dyson returned, he started in right and Fuentes was optioned
to Triple-A Omaha. When Dyson sputtered, manager Ned Yost decided to
give Orlando an extended look in right field.
Orlando went 3-for-4 with a home run and triple and drove in four
runs Tuesday, and Yordano Ventura pitched effectively into the sixth
inning as the Royals topped the Boston Red Sox 8-4.
The defending World Series champion Royals won back-to-back games
for the first time since April 21-22 and evened their record at
19-19. The Red Sox, who lead the majors with 233 runs, scored fewer
than five runs for the first time in nine games.
"You try to find a hot hitter and you kind of ride it out," Yost
said. "We just right now need the offense. The offense from the
bottom of the order tonight was fantastic."
Cheslor Cuthbert, Omar Infante and Orlando, the Royals' 7-8-9
hitters, combined to go 8-for-12 with five RBIs and five runs.
Cuthbert had his first career three-hit game, while Orlando hit his
first triple and home run of the season.
The Royals broke the game open with a three-run eighth, which
included Orlando's two-run homer off Koji Uehara. Uehara also
committed a throwing error on an Infante bunt, which allowed
Salvador Perez, who had walked, to score from first base.
 "I should have put that ball in my pocket and not thrown it," Uehara
said. "I reached it and didn't have a good grip on it."
Then Orlando pulled a 1-1 Uehara pitch over the Royals' left field
bullpen.
"He leaves the ball up in the zone to Orlando," Red Sox manager John
Farrell said. "It was a little uncharacteristic of Koji to give up
the long ball like that."
It was only the fourth career homer for Orlando, a 30-year-old
Brazilian who made his major league debut last year.
"I'm very happy to be here," Orlando said. "I just come to the field
to help. I'm here for anything, whatever they need. They know what I
can do to help the team. I'm pretty happy for my first triple and my
first home run."
Ventura (4-2) limited the Red Sox to one run through five innings
before yielding a Travis Shaw home run with Dustin Pedroia and
Hanley Ramirez aboard with two outs in the sixth. Pedroia singled
and Ramirez was hit by a pitch before Shaw blasted a 1-0 offering
out to right, pruning the Royals' advantage to 5-4.
Shaw finished 3-for-4 with two runs. In his past seven games, he has
three home runs, 12 RBIs and nine runs.
"I made one bad pitch, and that was it," Ventura said of the Shaw
homer with coach Pedro Grifol serving as his interpreter. "I thought
I was locating really good."
Ventura, who leads the American League with 30 walks, was removed
after walking the next hitter. Luke Hochevar replaced him and
retired all four batters he faced.
Red Sox right-hander Rick Porcello (6-2) was pulled after Cuthbert
led off the sixth with a double, ending his streak of 15 consecutive
starts throwing at least six innings, which was the longest active
run in the majors.
Porcello yielded five runs (four earned) on eight hits and two walks
with three strikeouts.
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Boston's Jackie Bradley Jr. continued his streak as the game's
hottest hitter. Bradley, who Monday was named the American League
Player of the Week, extended his hitting streak to a career-high 22
games, the longest in the majors this season, with a two-out RBI
double in the second inning to put the Red Sox on top 1-0.
Bradley's scorching double to left brought home Shaw, who had
singled. It was Bradley's 16th extra-base hit and 27th RBI during
his hitting streak.
It was a short-lived lead, however, as the Royals scored five runs
off Porcello in the third and fourth innings.
Orlando, who collected five triples in his first seven big league
games last year, tripled to leadoff the third and scored on Alcides
Escobar's groundout.
Eric Hosmer, who has hit safely in 32 of his past 34 games, homered,
his seventh, with two outs in the second, putting the Royals ahead
2-1.
The Royals bunched four consecutive singles and a Bradley error for
three more runs in the fourth. Perez and Cuthbert started it with
one-out singles. Infante's single to center scored Perez. When
Bradley booted the ball, Cuthbert advanced to third and Infante to
second. Orlando singled to center to score both.
Porcello required 99 pitches to make it through five-plus innings.
"I definitely made some mistakes, and obviously they capitalized on
them," Porcello said. "They did a good job of taking advantage of
pitches that were up and over the middle of the plate. I was just
really inconsistent locating my fastball down in the zone, and some
of the off-speed pitches I threw were not as effective as I would
have liked."
NOTES: Royals 3B Mike Moustakas (fractured left thumb) said he
reports Wednesday to Double-A Northwest Arkansas to begin a rehab
assignment. He is eligible to be activated Friday when the Royals
open a six-game trip at the White Sox. ... Red Sox RHP Joe Kelly
(right shoulder impingement) struck out 10 and walked one in 6 1/3
scoreless innings in a rehab start Monday for Triple-A Pawtucket.
Kelly likely will be activated Saturday to start against the
Indians. ... Red Sox RHP Eduardo Rodriguez (right patellar
subluxation) had a setback in his rehab assignment with Pawtucket
and will miss his Thursday start because of knee soreness. ... The
Royals moved LHP Mike Minor (torn labrum) from Northwest Arkansas to
Triple-A Omaha to continue his rehab. He could be ready by early
June for the big league rotation after not pitching last season
after surgery May 13, 2015. ... Red Sox RHP Steven Wright will pitch
the day game and LHP David Price the night game Wednesday of a
day-night doubleheader. The Royals will counter with RHPs Ian
Kennedy and Edinson Volquez, in that order.
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