After snapping the Royals’ seven-game win streak with a blowout win on Saturday, the Red Sox can take the series in Kansas City on Sunday. Lucas Giolito will have the ball for Boston, hoping his third start for the Red Sox is better than his second. The righthander, who missed all of 2024 through injury, allowed six earned runs over 3 ⅔ innings against the Rangers on Tuesday. The Royals will look to close out the series with righthander Seth Lugo on the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. Here’s a preview.
Lineups
Time: 2:10 p.m. TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7 Stat of the day: Boston has won five consecutive series against the Royals dating back to Aug. 4-8, 2022, when Kansas City took three of four games. Notes: Giolito is 11-6 with a 3.60 ERA in 23 career starts against the Royals. He hasn’t faced them since 2023 because he underwent a surgical procedure for a partial tear of his right ulnar collateral ligament, which sidelined him for the 2024 season. Giolito struggled last time out in a loss to the Rangers. “It was terrible,” Giolito said. “I gave up a bunch of hits in a row, just not doing my job. I didn’t have command; that was what probably did me in. I threw one slider, I bounced it, led to scoring a run and we kind of shied away from it. ... They didn’t let me get away with mistakes.” ... Rafael 4-for-4 with a double and three RBIs in Saturday’s win. It was his second four-hit game of the season and came just hours after team ownership and executives flew to Kansas City to meet with him. “He knows how to cancel the noise,” Cora said of Devers. ... Lugo, last year’s Cy Young runner-up, has struggled in his career against the Red Sox, compiling an 0-3 record and 7.24 ERA in five career appearances.
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