KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — One season after winning the World Series, the Boston Red Sox are playing spoiler — and doing all they can to extend a playoff drought in Kansas City that’s lasted nearly three decades.

Allen Webster pitched six solid innings and Jemile Weeks stroked a pair of doubles and scored two runs as the Red Sox defeated the sputtering Royals 4-2 on Friday night.

Kansas City lost for the fourth time in five games and fell out of first place in the AL Central for the first time since Aug. 10. The Royals, who are 0-5 against the last-place Red Sox, dropped a half-game behind Detroit, which beat Cleveland 7-2.

“Any time you can spoil it for another team is big,” Weeks said.

Webster (4-3), who had allowed 15 runs on 16 hits and seven walks in 13 2/3 innings over his previous three starts, limited the Royals to four hits — including Eric Hosmer’s two-run homer in the fourth.

“I just tried to forget about it and attack hitters,” Webster said. “Attack them and let the defense work behind me.”

Weeks, who had a two-run double in the ninth inning Thursday, doubled in the third and fifth. Mookie Betts singled home Weeks in a three-run third. He scored again on Daniel Nava’s two-out single in the fifth.

“They’re in the hunt,” Betts said. “Since we’re not in it, we might as well put everybody else out of it that we can, but mostly we’re just having fun playing the game.”

The Royals, who have not reached the postseason since winning the 1985 World Series, are having anything but fun.

“I think everyone is trying a little bit too hard,” Alex Gordon said. “It’s just not coming together right now. There’s a lot going on just because we’re in the middle of a pennant race and we’re not swinging well. We’ve got to move on.

“I think it’s just frustration. I don’t think pressing as (much as) it is frustrating. The pitching is doing the job. We just need to step up and forget about what we did tonight.”

The Royals aided the Red Sox in the third, with Betts scoring on third baseman Mike Moustakas’ throwing error and Nava scoring on Yordano Ventura’s wild pitch.

“We definitely could have played better,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Ventura (12-10), who had won his previous three starts, gave up four runs — three earned — and seven hits in seven innings. He also hit two batters with pitches.

Red Sox relievers Tommy Layne, Burke Badenhop, Koji Uehara and Edward Mujica held the Royals hitless for the final three innings. Mujica earned his sixth save.

GOT YOUR NUMBER

Red Sox pitchers are 5-0 with a 1.80 ERA this season against the Royals, holding them to a .206 batting average and nine extra-base hits.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: DH David Ortiz (bruised right foot) and 1B Mike Napoli (sore toe and dislocated finger) did not play. … INF Brock Holt is out with concussion-like symptoms after being examined by a specialist in Pittsburgh.

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy, who missed his turn Thursday with a tender shoulder, made about 30 throws at 75 feet on flat ground. He said his goal is to make his next start, which would be Tuesday against the White Sox. … DH Josh Willingham injured his groin in his final at-bat Thursday and will be out for at least a couple of games.

UP NEXT

Red Sox: Rubby De La Rosa, who is 0-2 with a 6.20 ERA in his past five starts, will pitch the third game of the series. De La Rosa has allowed 37 hits and walked 11 in 24 2/3 innings over those five starts.

Royals: Jeremy Guthrie will make his 23rd appearance and 21st start against Boston on Saturday. He is 3-9 with a 5.06 ERA against the Red Sox and has not defeated them since 2011.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The last-place Boston Red Sox took advantage of three critical errors by the first-place Kansas City Royals, pulling away late in a 6-3 victory Thursday night that ended a four-game losing streak.

Clay Buchholz (8-8) allowed three runs, two earned, over 6 1/3 innings for the Red Sox. He turned a one-run lead over to the Boston bullpen, and it preserved his sixth straight win against the Royals. Edward Mujica handled a perfect ninth for his fifth save.

Kansas City’s advantage in the AL Central dropped to a half-game over idle Detroit.

Liam Hendriks (1-2) failed to last three innings while making a spot start for left-hander Danny Duffy, who is shelved with shoulder soreness. The Royals’ defense didn’t do Hendriks any favors, making all three errors in the first four frames.

— Associated Press —

DETROIT (AP) — James Shields allowed two hits over seven innings in another terrific performance, and the Kansas City Royals edged Detroit 3-0 on Wednesday night to take a one-game lead over the Tigers atop the AL Central.

Shields (14-7) gave up a single to Ian Kinsler leading off the first. Then he picked off Kinsler — and retired every other batter he faced until another Detroit single in the seventh. The Tigers put two on that inning, but Shields worked out of the jam.

Kelvin Herrera pitched the eighth and Wade Davis finished for his third save.

Rick Porcello (15-11) pitched well for the Tigers, but Kansas City pushed across two runs in the fourth on RBI singles by Salvador Perez and Lorenzo Cain.

Alcides Escobar added a sacrifice fly in the ninth.

Detroit won the first two games of the series to pull into a virtual tie for first in the division, but the Royals avoided a sweep. The teams have a three-game series in Kansas City that starts Sept. 19.

Shields was acquired in December 2012 in a trade that sent top prospect Wil Myers to Tampa Bay. Myers won Rookie of the Year honors last season, but now Shields has helped put the Royals in contention for their first postseason appearance since 1985.

He came within two outs of a shutout in New York on Friday in a 1-0 win over the Yankees, and the Tigers didn’t fare any better against the 32-year-old right-hander. Shields struck out eight and walked one on Wednesday, throwing 98 pitches. Torii Hunter’s comebacker hit Shields in the back of his right leg in the first, but the Kansas City starter was able to continue.

In the seventh, Hunter managed a single and Miguel Cabrera walked, but Davis retired Victor Martinez on a deep fly and struck out J.D. Martinez.

Porcello allowed two runs and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings, striking out seven without a walk. He allowed consecutive singles to Josh Willingham, Eric Hosmer and Perez with one out in the fourth, and Cain’s two-out single made it 2-0.

The game was delayed 42 minutes by rain at the start, and in the fourth it was raining hard enough to send fans toward the concourse, but there were no more delays.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: All-Star closer Greg Holland sat out again, despite the tight score in the late innings. He hasn’t pitched since Sept. 3 because of a triceps issue.

Tigers: RHP Joakim Soria (left oblique strain) was activated from the disabled list before the game. He allowed a run in the ninth. … Left-handed reliever Phil Coke left in the eighth with an apparent injury after being unable to field Hosmer’s bunt.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Liam Hendriks (1-1) starts in Boston against Clay Buchholz (7-8) on Thursday night. Kansas City LHP Danny Duffy is missing that turn in the rotation because of a sore shoulder.

Tigers: Detroit has an off day Thursday, followed by a home series against Cleveland. Tigers LHP David Price (13-11) starts against Cleveland RHP Carlos Carrasco (7-4) on Friday night.

— Associated Press —

DETROIT (AP) — Max Scherzer figured he had squandered another lead when Alex Gordon’s fifth-inning drive sailed down the line in right field.

“When that came off the bat, I was sure that thing was gone, and I was stunned when I turned around and realized it had gone foul,” Scherzer said.

After that reprieve, Scherzer walked Gordon and retired the next two batters to escape a bases-loaded jam, and the Detroit Tigers went on to beat Kansas City 4-2 on Tuesday night to pull within percentage points of the Royals atop the AL Central.

Rajai Davis and J.D. Martinez homered for the Tigers, who can sweep the three-game series with a win Wednesday night.

Scherzer (16-5) allowed a run and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. Kansas City was down 3-1 in the fifth when Gordon’s deep fly to right went just foul with two on. Gordon walked to load the bases with one out, but Salvador Perez lined out and Eric Hosmer struck out.

Joe Nathan worked out of another jam in the ninth to earn his 30th save in 36 chances. He allowed two infield singles to start the inning before closing out the game with two strikeouts sandwiched around a picked-off runner.

Pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson was the man who was picked off second.

“The hardest part about that play was not getting too fired up and throwing the ball away,” Nathan said. “We so clearly had him that the only way it was going to get messed up was if I didn’t get the ball to (second baseman Ian Kinsler). As it turned out, I didn’t even need to make a great throw, but I made a pretty good one anyway.”

Kansas City’s Jason Vargas (11-8) allowed four runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked three.

Scherzer had allowed 14 earned runs over his previous four starts — not terrible, but below his standards as the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner. He’s had a hard time protecting leads lately.

On Tuesday, the Tigers led 3-0 in the fifth when Omar Infante hit an RBI single for the Royals — but Scherzer avoided the big inning.

Martinez opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the first, and Davis’ two-run homer in the second made it 3-0.

Martinez’s 20th homer of the season gave Detroit a 4-1 lead in the fifth.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Tigers are trying for their fourth straight AL Central title, and the hallmark of this run has been their ability to beat their closest competitors in the division head to head. Last year, Detroit went 15-4 against Cleveland and finished one game ahead of the Indians.

The Tigers are 11-4 against the Royals this year, and the race is now in a virtual tie. Detroit has one more win and one more loss than Kansas City — and the Royals still have to finish a suspended game in which they trail Cleveland 4-2 in the 10th.

“You have to be conscious of the standings at this time of the year, but being tied for first doesn’t mean a thing when we step on the field (Wednesday),” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said.

TOO MANY MISTAKES

The normally sure-handed Royals made two errors Tuesday after making two in the series opener. Then there was Dyson’s mistake in the ninth, which eliminated a crucial baserunner.

The Royals had men on first and second for the dangerous Gordon, but he struck out. Then Dyson was picked off second. Manager Ned Yost said he was hoping Dyson and fellow pinch-runner Terrance Gore could pull off a double steal.

“Dyson’s the lead runner, Dyson’s going to find a spot when he can get a jump and go,” Yost said. “Gore’s the tail runner. He’s going to be right behind him.”

The Tigers aren’t known for their impressive fielding, but Kinsler made a crucial diving stop to his left on Josh Willingham’s grounder in the eighth. The Royals ended up scoring a run that inning, but that was it.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Yost said he would not have used star closer Greg Holland on Tuesday, but he is close to returning from a triceps injury. … RHP Liam Hendriks (1-1) is listed as Thursday night’s starter against Boston — LHP Danny Duffy is missing that turn in the rotation because of a sore shoulder.

Tigers: Detroit expects RHP Joakim Soria (left oblique strain) to be activated from the disabled list Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Kansas City’s James Shields (13-7) faces Detroit’s Rick Porcello (15-10) on Wednesday, although the possibility of rain puts that game in some doubt. Shields is coming off a 1-0 win over the Yankees in New York on Friday.

— Associated Press —

DETROIT (AP) — Jeremy Guthrie couldn’t find a way out of trouble.

Torii Hunter had two of his three hits in a six-run third inning, and the Detroit Tigers beat Kansas City 9-5 Monday to close within a game of the AL Central-leading Royals.

“They just kept putting the ball in play,” Guthrie said.

Detroit won its 9,000th game, tying a season high with eight hits in the third and opening an 8-2 lead. Guthrie (10-11) allowed eight runs — six earned — and 10 hits in 2 2-3 innings. He has given up 14 earned runs in his last 6 2-3 innings against the Tigers.

Seven of Detroit’s first eight batters got hits in the third, which began with Hunter’s infield single. Victor Martinez’s infield hit drove in the first run, glancing off the glove of first baseman Eric Hosmer toward the dirt behind second. Don Kelly’s double made it 4-2, Nick Castellanos hit a two-run double and RBI singles by Al Avila and Hunter boosted the lead to 8-2.

“He was one pitch away from getting out of that third inning but it just kept snowballing and he couldn’t make that pitch,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Kansas City closed in the seventh when Hosmer tripled, Billy Butler hit an RBI groundout and Lorenzo Cain hit an inside-the-park homer off Justin Verlander (13-12), a ball that Hunter ran down in right-center only to have Kelly collide with him and knock off Hunter’s glove.

Hosmer’s RBI single in the eighth against Joba Chamberlain made it 8-5, but Billy Butler hit an inning-ending groundout with runners at the corners.

“We battled all the way, tried to chip away. Just couldn’t chip away enough,” Hosmer said.

Verlander (13-12) allowed four runs and six hits in seven innings for his third win in four starts.

“It was pretty good,” he said. “They put up a couple runs in a couple innings, but even after they got those two early runs, I went back and watched the video and those were all good pitches. They’ve just got a good lineup.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP left-hander Danny Duffy will miss his next turn in the rotation because of a sore shoulder. “He’s in Kansas City going through three or four rounds of treatment every day,” Yost said. “We’ll evaluate him when we get back.” … Closer Greg Holland, who hasn’t pitched since Wednesday because of a strained right triceps, is getting closer to returning. Yost said Holland threw on the side Monday and could be available Tuesday.

Tigers: RHP Joakim Soria (left oblique strain) threw 27 pitches in a simulated game and felt good. “Big step today. Hopefully, it feels good tomorrow,” Soria said. Manager Brad Ausmus said Soria threw all of his pitches and looked strong. If Soria feels good on Tuesday, he will likely be activated the following day.

UP NEXT

Jason Vargas (11-7, 3.14) is slated to start Tuesday for the Royals and Max Scherzer (15-5, 3.25) for the Tigers. Scherzer is 9-5 against Kansas City.

SIGNALS CROSSED

Hunter was down for a couple of minutes after the collision with Kelly, was checked by Tigers head athletic trainer Kevin Rand and stayed in the game.

DON’T LET ME CATCH YOU

Cain was second and Mike Moustakas was on third with one out in the third when Nori Aoki lofted a single to shallow center. Moustakas thought Kelly might catch the ball and held up, but Cain read the play correctly and was two steps behind Moustakas as they crossed the plate.

BUSY DAY

Across the street later in the day, the Detroit Lions hosted the New York Giants at Ford Field. The start of the baseball game was moved up three hours to accommodate.

— Associated Press —