The Boston Red Sox look to go into the All-Star break on a high note as they begin a three-game home series against the Kansas City Royals on Friday.
A 7-0 win over Oakland on Thursday moved the Red Sox back to 10 games above the .500 mark, was their eighth win in their last 10 games, and secured their third straight series victory.
Connor Wong, Wilyer Abreu and Masataka Yoshida all socked home runs to highlight the team's 10-hit attack -- and 13th three-homer game of the season -- while All-Star righty Tanner Houck threw six shutout, two-hit innings to post his eighth win.
Manager Alex Cora's club will look to continue their winning ways for one more series before next week's All-Star Game festivities in Arlington, Texas.
"I think what we need to do is to keep winning," Cora said. "Obviously there's a lot of conversation about a lot of stuff, but the main goal here is to keep winning and we've done a pretty good job the last month and a half accomplishing that, and we're going to continue."
Winning will be especially crucial this weekend against a Kansas City team that sits just a game back of the third and final wild-card spot in the American League postseason race. That spot is currently occupied by the Red Sox.
Yoshida has been on a 14-game tear to help Boston's surge, hitting .346 with a .928 OPS and 12 RBIs in that span. He was 3-for-4 with four RBIs on Thursday.
"Great teammates, great supporting staff, everybody in the clubhouse working together for the win," Yoshida said through an interpreter. "I'm really glad to be a part of that. ... I knew from the beginning that we had something going on with this team."
Boston has not announced a starting pitcher for Friday.
All-Star left-hander Cole Ragans (5-6, 3.28 ERA) is due to make the series-opening start for Kansas City, pitching for his first win since June 24 at Miami. He is one of three Royals arms who ranked in the top 15 in American League ERAs as of Wednesday.
The 26-year-old has matched his season high of seven innings pitched last Friday at Colorado, striking out eight and allowing just two runs on five hits in a no-decision.
Ragans will look to keep the Royals hot after they swept a Wednesday doubleheader in St. Louis, giving them a three-game win streak entering this weekend.
Eight players registered at least one RBI between the two games Wednesday. Vinnie Pasquantino, Salvador Perez and MJ Melendez drove in at least one in each game, with Perez homering in each contest. Especially key was the outfield, which combined for six runs scored and six RBIs in the sweep.
"It is outfield production, but there are nine guys in the lineup," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. "We don't care what position they play, but right now, those guys are producing."
When Ragans' start in Boston is over, he will turn his attention to an All-Star Game in the stadium where he made his MLB debut for the Rangers in 2022.
"It's cool that I have a lot of memories on that mound -- my first Opening Day, my first big league start, my first big league win," Ragans said of Globe Life Field. "It's pretty cool. Of all places for my first (All-Star Game) to be, it just happens to be back (where) I stepped on a big league mound for the first time. It's full circle."
Prior to Wednesday's sweep, Kansas City had been 5-14 in its last 19 road games.
