Jeremy Guthrie Solid as Royals Beat Red Sox 7-1

Jeremy Guthrie gave the Royals just what they needed Saturday night, pitching eight innings of one-unearned-run baseball while the offense woke from a long September nap and delivered twelve hits (four doubles) and seven runs enroute to a much-needed victory. The win allowed the Royals to remain just a half-game behind the Tigers, and in sole possession of the second wild-card slot.

Royals manager Ned Yost opted for a rather strange line-up that, upon first glance, made me wonder if he isn’t cracking under the pressure of the team’s late-season swoon which threatens to extend a 28-year playoff drought. Alcides Escobar and his career .297 OBP was in the lead-off spot, while the light-hitting Nori Aoki (slugging percentage .336) was in at DH. Ned’s moves obviously rattled the Red Sox, who countered with David Ortiz and his .511 slugging percentage at DH – to no avail. Way to go, Ned.

The Royals jumped ahead early with two runs in the first inning, aided by aggressive base-running on the part of Aoki and a throwing error by Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez.

The Red Sox countered with an unearned run in the third behind a Mike Moustakas error. But the Royals salted the game away with three more runs in the fourth, and never looked back.

KC was 5-12 with runners in scoring position on the night, while the Sox managed but four hits and a walk. Omar Infante, finally moved out of the second spot in the batting order, responded with a 3-4 night. Alex Gordon, Aoki, and Escobar also had two hits apiece. And Lorenzo Cain had a hit, a stolen base, and worked the Royals lone walk on the evening.

There are fifteen games left in the Royals season, including the rain-suspended Cleveland contest that will almost certainly be a loss. Let’s hope that tonight’s game serves as a springboard towards a successful stretch run to glory.