Royals beat Red Sox for ninth straight win

(TSX / STATS) -- BOSTON -- The Kansas City Royals are on a roll.

Now if they can only find a way to make the Cleveland Indians actually lose a game.

"Right now, yeah. Let's keep it rolling," Kansas City manager Ned Yost said after his team won its ninth game in a row -- a 4-2 victory over the struggling Boston Red Sox on Friday night.

The problem for the Royals right now is that while they were winning their ninth in a row, the Indians were ripping off their eighth straight, remaining two games ahead in the American League Central.

Jason Vargas pitched out of a July slump and Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas homered to keep the streak going. Moustakas become the fastest Royal to reach 30 homers as he continued to close in on Steve Balboni's club mark of 36.

"It's cool," said Moustakas, who reached 30 homers 22 games faster than Gary Gaetti did in 1995. "It's I guess more meaningful because it came in a win. It was a big win for us against a great club over there.

"It's always nice to hit homers, but when they help you go ahead or add some runs against a great team, it definitely makes it a little better."

Vargas, an All-Star who followed a 6-1 June with a 9.45 ERA in three July starts, allowed a run and five hits through six innings to raise his record to 13-4.

"His changeup was really good," Yost said. "So was his breaking ball. (He) spotted his fastball well, but had better life on his secondary pitches tonight. More crisp."

Four relievers finished up, with Kelvin Herrera working the ninth for his 22nd save.

The loss dropped the Red Sox, losers of five of their last six, out of first place in the AL East for the first time since June 29, falling a half-game behind the New York Yankees. Boston is 6-9 since the All-Star break.

Perez hit a solo homer off Rick Porcello (4-14) in the second inning and Moustakas then capped a nine-pitch at-bat with his line drive homer with second and third and two outs in the fourth.

"The one to Perez, it is what it is," said Porcello, who went 22-4 while winning the Cy Young Award last season. "Trying to throw a sinker in off the plate. He got to it. The one to Moustakas is really the one that's going to make it hard to sleep tonight.

"He's one of the guys in their lineup that before the game, I didn't want to let him beat me and I got into a situation where I had two strikes on him. We kind of got into a dogfight, he was fouling off some pitches off and just trying to drive a fastball in right there and if I miss for a ball so be it. I didn't have a problem putting him on and ran right back into his barrel. That one stings."

The Royals have outscored their opposition 67-29 and out-homered their foes 20-2 during the winning streak, homering in all nine games.

Mookie Betts singled home one run for Boston, and Eduardo Nunez had two hits and a walk in his first game with his new team. Rafael Devers, making his Fenway Park debut, had a double in four at-bats and made a sparkling fielding play at third base in his third major league game.

Porcello, starting on his normal fifth day for reinjured David Price, has one win since May 23 and the homers were the 24th and 25th he has allowed this season. He allowed 23 all last year. He got more run support than any starting pitcher in baseball last year but has been a victim of non-support this season.

"We have the talent in the room, we're in a bit of rut right now," he said, adding, "but if we go out there and prepare the way we know how to prepare, and play hard and play aggressively, I think that will take us where we need to go."

NOTES: LHP David Price was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a recurrence of the left elbow strain that cost him the first two months of the season. RHP Doug Fister (0-5 in seven appearances) will take his rotation spot. Friday would have marked Price's first home outing since details of his run-in with broadcaster Dennis Eckersley on a team flight. ... Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia denied applauding when Price lit into Eckersley. ... The Royals activated OF Terrance Gore (oblique) from the DL, but OFs Paulo Orlando and Cheslor Cuthbert both had setbacks and will remain on their rehab assignment. ... Boston INF Deven Marrero was sent to Triple-A Pawtucket to make room for INF Eduardo Nunez. ... KC dealt RHP Luke Farrell, the son of the Red Sox manager, to the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash considerations. ... The Red Sox recalled LHP Robby Scott. ... LHP Brian Johnson was in Boston to have his shoulder checked, but the injury is not believed to be serious. ... RHP Trevor Cahill makes his Royals debut when he faces LHP Eduardo Rodriguez in Saturday night's second game of the series.