How the KC Royals managed to lose 19 straight games

A Boston slugger makes life miserable for the KC Royals at Fenway Park.

Kansas City looked good early in the first of three games at Fenway Park Aug. 2. Matt Stairs hit a three-run homer in the first inning and Ambres led off the third with a solo shot to give the Royals a 4-0 lead.

The Sox, however, got to KC starter Runelvys Hernández in the fourth. He walked Edgar Rentería and David Ortiz to start the frame before Manny Ramírez hammered a homer to center to slice the Royal lead to one.

Things were quiet until Ambiorix Burgos took over for Hernández to start the seventh and gave Boston three runs; the Sox led 6-4 and that was that.

Ramírez punished the Royals again the next night, but didn’t wait as long to do it, instead clubbing another three-run homer to score Rentería and Ortiz in the first.

Kansas City came right back to score two in the second when Emil Brown homered, took the lead in the fourth on a solo Sweeney home run and Ángel Berroa’s single. The lead was short-lived, though: Boston retook the lead with two in its half of the inning, then plated two in the fifth and one in the seventh to win 8-5.

The clubs closed out their three-game set the next afternoon, and it appeared early on that the Royals were ending their six-game losing skid. Sparked by a four-run third highlighted by Terrence Long’s two-out three-run double, they led 5-1.

But Boston had no intention of relieving Kansas City of its misery. Jason Varitek blasted a two-out grand slam off reliever Juan Carlos Oviedo to an eight-run fourth and the Sox went on to win 11-9.

The 0-7 road trip was over. It was time to go home.