Dominic Smith scores go-ahead run on wild pitch, helps Red Sox beat Royals 6-5

By DAVID SMALE Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Dominic Smith scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the sixth inning on a call that was overturned on a challenge, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Tuesday night.

Smith doubled to open the sixth and moved to third on a single to center field by Eric Sogard. After David Hamilton struck out looking, Smith charged home on a pitch by KC’s Seth Lugo that bounced in front of the plate and got away from catcher Salvador Perez. Perez chased the ball to the backstop, wheeled and threw to Lugo, who appeared to tag a diving Smith for an apparent out.

The Red Sox challenged the call, which was overturned on review.

“Dom (Smith) wasn’t too sure,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “Mikey (Brenly, the Red Sox’s replay coordinator) right away said, ‘Challenge it. He got in.’”

Smith called his diving toward the plate a “freestyle” when asked what stroke he used.

“I tried to make a move,” Smith said. “I wasn’t sure when (Royals pitcher Seth Lugo) tagged me, but when I saw (manager Alex Cora) go for the challenge, I felt good about it.

“I’ve been seeing a lot of our speedy guys (use the swim move) all year. My slide is a little bit slower than other people’s, so I might have a little more time to make a move.”

Later in the inning, with the bases loaded and two out Yoshida singled through the right side, driving in two more runs.

The Red Sox, who have won the first two games of the three-game set, trail the Royals by a half-game for the third American League wild-card spot.

Brennan Bernadino (4-3) worked a third of an inning and earned the win in relief. Kenley Jansen picked up his 21st save, striking out Bobby Witt Jr., the MLB leader in hits and batting average, to end it.

“That’s the best I’ve seen the big boy, especially in that last at bat,” Cora said of Jansen. “It was cutter, sinker, cutter. The velocity, the movement, to have him rested was very important.”

Lugo (13-6) allowed six runs, four earned, on six hits in 5 1/3 innings in the loss.

“Another competitive outing,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “His command was a little bit off, I think. He was maybe trying to be a little too fine. We were looking up there in the sixth and we were right in the game.”

Lugo said overturning the call was the right call.

“I could tell that I didn’t get his arm and his hand got the plate,” Lugo said. “I was hoping they didn’t have a good enough video to show that.”

Boston held a 6-3 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth inning when the Royals’ MJ Melendez lined a two-run double to the wall, scoring Vinnie Pasquantino and Perez and cutting the deficit to a run.

Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. lined a one-out double in the first before Pasquantino pulled one through the right side of the infield for an RBI single.

The Red Sox answered with a pair of unearned runs in the second. Connor Wong singled. Smith hit a grounder to second, but Michael Massey failed to field it. With one out, David Hamilton bounced one over the wall, scoring Wong. Smith scored on a groundout by Ceddanne Rafaela.

Masataka Yoshida homered with one out in the third to extend the Boston lead to 3-1.

The Royals used three straight two-out hits to tie the game in the fifth. Massey launched a 434-foot home run to right center. Witt followed with a bloop single and scored on a double by Pasquantino.

TRAINING ROOM:

Red Sox: Boston manager Alex Cora said RHP Chris Martin played catch Monday and felt good Tuesday, so it’s likely he’ll be activated from the injured list before Wednesday’s game. He has been on the IL since July 5 (retroactive to July 4) with right elbow inflammation. … OF Tyler O’Neill, who has been out of the lineup with an illness since Aug. 3, feels better and is also likely to return to the lineup Wednesday.

UP NEXT:

The Red Sox and Royals will conclude their three-game series Wednesday night. Boston will start RHP Brayan Bello (7-8, 3.81 ERA) against KC’s LHP Cole Ragans (8-7, 3.35 ERA).