Carter Jensen gave the Royals exactly the kind of punch they needed Friday night, lining two doubles, driving in a run and scoring twice in Kansas City’s 3-2 win over Boston.
The victory was the Royals’ second straight and their first against the Red Sox since August 6 of last year.
Seth Lugo made things interesting early, but he still held Boston to two runs over five innings. He scattered seven hits and walked two while striking out seven, a line that worked well enough in the moment even if it didn’t look especially clean.
He also only used seven of his pitches, and most notably skipped the slow curve altogether. The curveball and four-seamer, though, were both sharper than they had been recently.
Sonny Gray’s strong track record against Kansas City had the Royals testing that edge right away. Jensen opened the game with a double, moved to third on a groundout by Bobby Witt Jr., and came home on a Salvador Perez single after Gray threw Perez a sinker in rather than leaning on the breaking stuff away.
Kansas City kept coming in the third. Isaac Collins started the inning with an automatic double at 103.2 MPH down the right field line, bouncing over the short fence near the pole.
Jensen followed by smashing a 102.6 MPH ball off the monster in left to swap places with Collins. Bobby Witt Jr. then flied out to center at 103.3 MPH to move Jensen to third, and Vinnie Pasquantino added the Royals’ final run with a 102.4 MPH hit.
Salvador Perez grounded into a double play to end the inning, and that was it for the Kansas City offense.
The bullpen did its part from there. Connor Thomas, Nolan Hoffman, Nate Pearson and Steven Cruz covered the final four innings and allowed just one hit while striking out three and issuing no walks. That was enough to protect the one-run lead the rest of the way.
The Royals are back at it in a late-afternoon game Saturday, with Randy Dobnak set to face Ranger Suarez at 3:05 PM Central. Suarez is a lefty, so Kansas City will have its hands full.
In Other News...
Royals Finally Got An Encouraging Jac Caglianone Injury Sign
Jac Caglianone took a meaningful step forward this week by getting back on the field for batting practice, his first such session since suffering a Grade 1 flexor strain in his left elbow. For a Royals team tracking every update on his recovery, that alone counts as encouraging news, especially after he had been limited to the margins while working his way back from the injury.
Matt Quatraro struck a hopeful tone about where Caglianone stands, though he stopped short of saying whether the young hitter would be available to pinch-hit in the next game. Caglianone still has not resumed throwing with game intensity, but he did make several throws during batting practice, another sign that the rehab process is moving in the right direction as Kansas City waits for the next checkpoint. [Read more 🡒]
Seth Lugo Gave The Royals Something They Had Been Missing On The Road
Road games have been a grind for Kansas City for much of the season, so Seth Lugos night at Fenway Park stood out for more than just the result. The right-hander settled in after Boston put up some early pressure, held the Red Sox to two runs over five innings and picked up his seventh win in a 3-2 Royals victory. Kansas City also got an encouraging showing from rookie Carter Jensen, who doubled twice and scored twice, while the bullpen took care of the rest with scoreless work to close it out.
For a club that has needed more dependable starts away from home, Lugo gave them the kind of steady outing that can travel. The Royals are still well below .500 at 66-82, but this was the sort of win that can matter in a season like this, especially with a young lineup contributor like Jensen making his Fenway debut look comfortable and the relief corps protecting a slim lead against a Boston team that has now dropped three straight. [Read more 🡒]
Nate Pearson Is Giving The Royals A Bullpen Decision To Make
Nate Pearson arrived in Kansas City in late July with the kind of arm that can change the conversation in a bullpen, and he has spent the weeks since backing that up. In 21 innings for the Royals, the right-hander has allowed just one earned run and piled up 20 strikeouts, giving the club a late-season look at a power pitcher who has fit in quickly after coming over from Houston.
Pearsons immediate impact has also created an offseason decision the Royals will have to sort through. Kansas City controls him through the 2027 season, which gives the front office some flexibility, but it also raises the question of whether his recent work has made him a legitimate piece for next years bullpen rather than just a short-term arm added for depth. [Read more 🡒]