Ranger Suarez goes 7 innings as Red Sox beat Royals 5-1

BOSTON (AP) — Ranger Suarez struck out eight in seven innings of one-run ball, Wilyer Abreu hit a tiebreaking two-run double and the Boston Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 5-1 on Saturday to halt a three-game skid.

Nick Sogard had an RBI double, and Adley Rutschman and Caleb Durbin each added a run-scoring single for the Red Sox, who are comfortably in the second of the AL’s three wild-card spots.

Carter Jensen hit his 24th homer for Kansas City, which won the series opener Friday night.

Coming off a scoreless start over seven innings in a 1-0 victory at Baltimore on Sept. 4, Suarez (7-4) gave up five hits and didn’t walk a batter.

Continuing his solid run since being inserted in the rotation in mid-July, Royals right-hander Randy Dobnak (3-4) held the Red Sox to a run and four singles before he was lifted with two on and two outs in the sixth.

Abreu greeted reliever Anthony Gose with his double off a garage door in deep center.

In his previous 10 starts, Dobnak gave up one run or zero seven times. He was charged with three on Saturday.

Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. reached 40 stolen bases for the second time in his career when he swiped second in the first inning.

Boston second baseman Anthony Seigler left the game in the top of the seventh after appearing to hurt his right wrist or hand on a swing an inning earlier.

Jensen’s high fly ball hooked around the Pesky Pole in right field and tied it 1-1 in the sixth.

Royals LHP Noah Cameron (9-8, 3.93 ERA) is slated to face Red Sox LHP Payton Tolle (9-6, 3.15) in Sunday’s series finale that was moved from a 1:35 p.m. EDT first pitch to 3:05 p.m. with the forecast of rain.