KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Eduardo Rodriguez pitched capably into the seventh inning, Mookie Betts had a career-best four hits and the Boston Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 7-3 on Friday night.
Rodriguez (3-1), who gave up nine runs in 4 2-3 innings in his previous start against Toronto, allowed one run and six hits in 6 1-3 innings. Alcides Escobar's RBI-double in the fifth was the first run he allowed on the road in 18 1-3 innings.
The Red Sox batted around in a five-run second inning, which included an RBI-single by Betts. Blake Swihart contributed a two-run double, while Mike Napoli drove in two runs with a single.