Luke Hochevar threw seven solid innings as the Kansas City Royals salvaged a four-game series split with a 4-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Hochevar (7-8) was facing a Red Sox team that scored 25 runs over the past two games, but held Boston to just two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out six. Billy Butler smacked a three-run home run in a four-run fourth inning, as the Royals won for the sixth time in their last nine games. Josh Beckett (9-4) allowed all four runs on six hits and three walks while fanning eight over seven innings as Boston lost for just the fifth time in July. Dustin Pedroia homered in the eighth inning to extend his career-best hit streak to 25 games.
