'Very lucky to have him': Giolito shows appreciation for Devers after big HR

KANSAS CITY -- The Red Sox flourished with the long ball on Sunday, with special emphasis on “long.” A two-run blast by Rafael Devers to straightaway center field traveled a Statcast-projected 440 feet and served as a signature game-winning hit in Boston’s 3-1 victory over the Royals.

That mammoth homer by Devers trumped an earlier Statcast-projected 430-foot shot by Wilyer Abreu. Two big swings -- marking the first and third longest homers for the Red Sox this season -- were all that resurgent right-hander Lucas Giolito needed as he turned back the clock with a masterful start in which he allowed just two hits and one unearned run over 6 2/3 innings.

Giolito’s 88th and final pitch was a 95 mph fastball that caught Maikel Garcia looking. Manager Alex Cora popped out of the dugout at that point and offered Giolito a double slap of congratulations before turning things over to the Red Sox bullpen.

Prior to the game, Cora had been asked what he was expecting from Giolito.

“Go out there and compete,” Cora said. “Give us six. Give us a chance to win.”

It turned out Giolito gave the Red Sox a lot more than that. The Royals only scored on Giolito with the aid of Giolito’s throwing error on a sacrifice bunt play in the third. Giolito bounced back to limit the damage and hold Kansas City’s lead at 1-0.

Abreu’s solo homer in the fourth tied it and then Devers put Boston on top with his two-run homer in the sixth.

Aroldis Chapman recorded his sixth save of the season to tie Rollie Fingers for 15th on MLB's all-time saves list (341).

After losing a tough 12-inning game to the Royals on Friday, the Red Sox wound up taking the series by holding Kansas City to just one run in each of the next two games.

“Today was a big step forward,” Giolito said. “Now, I feel like I’m 100 percent healthy. No worry about the hamstring or the elbow."

Giolito was aided Sunday by a reworked slider which he had begun tinkering with just three days prior to the outing.

“It turned into a real weapon and we utilized that today,” Giolito said. “There was a grip change to where it was more comfortable in my hand. In the bullpen, we worked on getting a good release point on it and carried that into the game today. I want to continue making improvements with it.”

Giolito faced a big dilemma in the third. After Drew Waters led off with a single and Luke Maile walked, Kyle Isbel put down a bunt which trickled back to Giolito. He appeared to have a play at third for a forceout, but threw wildly with Waters scoring an unearned run. That gave Kansas City a 1-0 lead and the Royals had men at first and second with nobody out and the top of the order coming up.

But Giolito got out of the inning without further damage and Boston's power game came through to help the Red Sox take the series.

“A little confusion on that [sacrifice bunt],” Giolito said. “Maybe I have to go work on my PFP [pitcher fielding practice] for awhile. But you just try to stay in the moment. It’s always good when you can limit the damage like that.”

The game-tying homer by Abreu in the fourth off Royals starter Seth Lugo was his 10th this year.

“[Lugo] is one of the best pitchers in the big leagues because of his repertoire,” Cora said. “He has a lot of pitches and you can’t panic with him. He’ll induce some swing-and-miss, but if you stay patient, you’ll get a pitch to hit. [Abreu] did and he crushed it.”

Devers took it one powerful step further in the sixth with his two-run homer.

“If you look at the numbers, he’s probably the best DH in the American League right now,” Cora said of Devers.

In the wake of Friday’s meeting with principal owner John Henry and Cora regarding the Red Sox exploration of whether Devers could eventually be a fit playing first base, Devers has not spoken with the media. He again declined interviews on Sunday.

But Devers’ bat, for the second day in a row, was a key ingredient in a Boston victory.

“I’m glad he’s on my team and I don’t have to pitch to him anymore,” Giolito said of Devers. “He’s an incredible hitter and we’re very lucky to have him.”