J.D. Martinez had an RBI single in the eighth inning and the Boston Red Sox rallied late to beat the Kansas City Royals 2-1 on Friday night.
Martinez’s single to left was just the third hit for Boston, which had just tied it up when reliever Scott Barlow walked Jason Verdugo with the bases loaded after Dylan Coleman (4-2) issued two walks to start the inning.
Royals RHP Brady Singer (8-4, 3.21 ERA) faces veteran LHP Rich Hill (7-6, 4.56) for Boston on Saturday in the second of the three-game series at 3:10.