Here are the Talking Points from the Boston Red Sox' 4-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
BATTER OF THE GAME: Travis Shaw
Not a lot of offense on Thursday night, but Travis Shaw got on base three times, scored a run, and drove in a run. Like the rest of these Sox youngsters, Shaw has really come on as of late. It's going to be interesting to see how he plays the rest of the season. Is he someone Dave Dombrowski thinks could be the team's first baseman next season? The sample size just isn't big enough yet, but when Dombrowski talks about "evaluating" players, you can bet Shaw is someone he's trying to figure out.
STARTERS REPORT: Wade Miley followed up Joe Kelly's superb outing with one of his own, lasting into the 8th inning and allowing just one run on six hits with six strikeouts. It was Miley's second straight strong outing, and he should feel good about this one as the Royals are obviously one of the best team's in baseball.
Danny Duffy hasn't been great against the Red Sox over his career, and he wasn't great Thursdaynight either. Duffy lasted 5.0 innings but allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks. The three runs he allowed in the third inning hurt as the Royals bats were quiet pretty much all night.
Boston Red Sox
BIG PLAY: This game lacked a real highlight-worthy moment, so it makes sense that the biggest play of the game was Ryan Hanigan's single in the third inning that drove in two runs. It padded the Sox lead to 3-0 and when Jackie Bradley Jr. drove in a run in the next at-bat, Miley had all the breathing room he needed. Hanigan has been sneaky good this year at the plate. How sneaky? For most of the season he led the team in OBP, but has since been passed by a few players. Still, he gets involved on the base paths when he gets playing time.
WHAT I LIKED: It has to be Wade Miley's start. Despite the Sox missing pitchers like Clay Buchholz and Rick Porcello, they are piecing together solid starts for the most part. Miley has been up and down all season, so it's hard to tell how long this will last. But two nice starts in a row for him.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Hanley Ramirez went 0-for-4 tonight, including a bases-loaded strikeout looking in the first inning. It's one thing to strike out, but looking? The Sox are simply expecting much more out of him in the field and at the plate this season than what he's offering.
WHAT'S NEXT: Red Sox rookie Henry Owens takes the mound for the Red Sox against new Royals ace Johnny Cueto. Cueto is going to be a free agent at the end of this season, so there will be plenty of eyes on Cueto Friday night.