G16: Red Sox 4, Royals 3

Royals  - 000 010 101 - 3 10  1
Red Sox - 000 001 03x - 4  7  1

Daniel Nava atoned for getting picked off second base (as the potential tying run) in the seventh inning by crushing a three-run homer in the eighth. The #BostonStrDong gave the Red Sox a 4-2 lead, and allowed them to withstand a Royals rally against Andrew Bailey in the ninth.

It was the Red Sox's first home game since the Marathon bombings on Monday afternoon. The win was Boston's seventh straight and gave them a 12-4 record. In 16 games, the starting pitchers have yet to allow more than three runs in a game.

Buchholz (8-8-2-1-6, 104) had no trouble with the Kansas City lineup, except for Lorenzo Cain, who finished the day 4-for-4, with a single, two doubles, and a home run. Cain doubled to begin the fifth and scored the day's first run on Jeff Francoeur's single. Boston tied the game in the sixth when Jacoby Ellsbury singled, was bunted to second, took third on a grounder, and scored on David Ortiz's second single of the afternoon. Cain also doubled in the seventh and scored on Salvador Perez's triple into the right field corner.

In the bottom of the seventh, Nava was hit by a pitch and Will Middlebrooks singled (snapping an 0-for-15 skid). On the first pitch to Stephen Drew, Perez caught Nava way off second base and threw down, picking him off. Drew then reached on an infield fielding error that might have scored Nava, if he had still been on second. Jarrod Saltalamacchia fouled out to third and Ellsbury flied to right.

In the eighth, facing Tim Collins, Jonny Gomes, pinch-hitting for Shane Victorino, doubled to left-center. Dustin Pedroia walked, but was erased when Ortiz grounded into a double play. Gomes - the potential tying run - went to third on the GIDP. The Royals brought in Kelvin Herrera, who walked Mike Napoli on four pitches. Nava then pounded a 1-1 pitch into the Red Sox bullpen to give the home team a 4-2 lead.

Bailey seemed amped and overthrowing in the ninth. Cain greeted him with a solo homer. Then Mike Moustakas crushed a fly ball that Ellsbury ran down near the triangle. After Francouer lined a single to left-center, Perez nearly wrapped one around the Pesky Pole. That rocket would have given KC the lead, but it was simply "strike two". Bailey struck out Perez on the next pitch for the second out, but he still had trouble getting the ball in the strike zone and walked George Kottaras. He ran the count full on Alex Gordon before getting a routine grounder to second, which ended the game.

James Shields / Clay Buchholz

Ellsbury, CF
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Nava, LF
Middlebrooks, 3B
Drew, SS
Ross, C

David Ortiz returns!

Last night's postponed game will be made up tomorrow as part of a day-night doubleheader.

Boston's starting pitchers have allowed no more than three runs in each of this season's 15 games, the longest such streak to begin a season since the 1981 Oakland A's.