BOS 10, KC 3 – Clay Delivers, KC Flops… Again

Red Sox 10 – Kansas City 3
Apparently, playing spoiler isn’t as fun as the media makes it out to be. You get burned more often than you succeed.
With little more than a week left in the season, the Royals look to put the finishing touches on another disappointing campaign.
KC has played admirably in the last few days, though tonight they were clearly overmatched by a young fireballer at the top of his game. In the end, the Royals got their scheduled paychecks, while the Sox got additional restitution for Tuesday’s loss and draw one step closer to the Wild Card.
Seeing Clay Buchholz on the mound tonight against the Kansas City lineup must have made any Sox fan salivate. Arguably the best Sox pitcher of the last two weeks, Buchholz predictably shut down a weak Royals lineup, posting 6.2 strong innings, with 8 Ks and zero walks.
Command was certainly on Buchholz’s side tonight, as he threw 69 of his 109 pitches for strikes. His pitch of the night was a fastball for a called strike three against Mike Jacobs in the 1st. Clay spotted the pitch on the upper inside corner, freezing Jacobs for the K.
Control is the fine line separating Buchholz from stardom the last few years. Tonight, he had it in spades.
The match was hotly contested early, tied 0-0 through 2 innings. The Sox took the lead 1-0 in the 3rd on a one out error by Alex Gordon.
Umpire Greg Gibson added sparks by ejecting Royals’ manager Trey Hillman in the fourth, just one inning after tossing pitcher Zack Greinke for arguing balls and strikes.
The Sox broke through the KC defenses in the fourth, putting up three runs, while adding another in the sixth.
Kansas City made it interesting with a three-run 8th inning. Though, a four-run ninth by the Boston put the game firmly out of reach.
Ramon Ramirez was shaky in relief, ceding three runs in 0.2 innings, including a 2-run homer to Royals first baseman Billy Butler.
The Red Sox 10th Man Award goes to Royals shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt for doing his best to blow the game for his team. Twice, Betancourt made errors on routine plays with runners on base; in the 4th on a Reddick grounder and again in the 8th with the bases loaded.
With Lester on the mound for tomorrow night, the Sox look to send the Yanks a message before the postseason. This is the last time the two teams will meet in 2009 – unless they face off in the ALCS. Look for Lester to build on an already impressive year, giving the Sox momentum for the playoffs.