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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Taking three games off to rest a pulled
left hamstring didn't put any rust on Nomar Garciaparra's swing.
Garciaparra went 3-for-4 Saturday night, raising his AL-leading
average to .373, as the Boston Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals
5-3.
|  | | Brian Daubach, left, is congratulated by teammate Jose Offerman after his two-run homer against the Royals in the first inning Saturday. |
"I feel all right," said Garciaparra, who also scored twice as
Boston handed Kansas City its sixth loss in seven games. "I have
to watch myself. I was very cautious out there."
Red Sox starter Rolando Arrojo (3-1) probably could have been a
bit more cautious, on the other hand -- not on the field, but in the
dugout.
Arrojo earned the win, but his frustration over giving up a
two-run homer to Johnny Damon in the fifth inning led him to kick
something -- either a railing, or a water jug, by various accounts.
He bruised his right ankle, and had to come out with one out in the
sixth.
"He doesn't know what he kicked," said pitcher Pedro Martinez,
who served as Arrojo's translator. "He was just frustrated. He's never done that before. That was the
first thing he said to me: 'Why did I do that?"'
Red Sox manager Jimy Williams said Arrojo likely would not miss
any starts. He and Arrojo both declined to discuss what was said
about the injury.
"Do you lecture your children?" Williams said. "We'll take
care of our own in our clubhouse."
Arrojo gave up two runs on five hits, with no walks and three
strikeouts. The Red Sox rocked Royals starter Brian Meadows for six hits and
four runs in the first inning. Brian Daubach hit a two-run homer to
make it 2-0, and Scott Hatteberg added a two-run single with one out.
"I was leaving everything up and they were hitting it," said
Meadows, who recovered well enough to pitch 7 2-3 innings. "That
put us in a hole, and we never came out of it. You can't make your
team play catchup ball like that."
Meadows gave up 12 hits, with one walk and one strikeout. He was
helped out by three double plays in the first four innings. Derek Lowe pitched the ninth, recovering from a mental lapse for
his 31st save in 36 chances.
Gregg Zaun, who led off with a single, was allowed to run to
second unchallenged with two out. Lowe, who was unaware that Zaun
had moved up, made a pickoff move to first and was called for a
balk, sending Zaun to third. But Lowe recovered and got Damon to
ground to short, ending the game.
"Luckily, that didn't come back to haunt us," Lowe said. "But
that's not something you want to do in the ninth inning, giving a
guy an extra base like that."
Damon's fifth-inning homer, a line drive into the right-field
bleachers, cut Boston's lead to 4-2. Kansas City made it 4-3 in the
sixth on Zaun's RBI single off Hipolito Pichardo, but Jason Varitek
answered with an RBI single in the eighth against Andy Larkin to
make it 5-3.
Troy O'Leary doubled twice for the Red Sox. Damon, Sweeney, and
Zaun led Kansas City with two hits apiece, with Sweeney extending
his hitting streak to 13 games. Damon's two hits gave him 83 since the All-Star break, tops in
the majors.
Game notes
The Royals have turned eight double plays in the first
three games of their four-game series with Boston. ... Damon scored
his AL-leading 113th run on his homer. ... Kansas City is 30-32 at
Kauffman Stadium, after a 14-4 home start. ... Randa, hit in the
left forearm by Pichardo in the sixth inning, returned to the field
but was lifted for a pinch hitter in the eighth. He is day to day.
... Daubach's home run was the 200th given up by Kansas City, the
most in the majors.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Boston Clubhouse
Kansas City Clubhouse
RECAPS
Tampa Bay 4
Baltimore 1
Baltimore 2
Tampa Bay 0
(2nd game)
NY Yankees 10
Oakland 6
Detroit 8
Minnesota 2
Toronto 9
Texas 3
Boston 5
Kansas City 3
Seattle 11
Chi. White Sox 5
Cleveland 9
Anaheim 5
Chicago Cubs 6
Los Angeles 4
Colorado 11
Pittsburgh 4
Philadelphia 5
San Francisco 2
Cincinnati 3
Florida 2
Montreal 5
Houston 4
St. Louis 6
Atlanta 3
Arizona 5
NY Mets 1
Milwaukee 6
San Diego 5
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