BOSTON, April 11 (UPI) -- The Kansas City Royals erupted for four runs in the top of the ninth inning off Ugueth Urbina Thursday night and rallied for an 8-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox in the rubber game of a three-game series.
Urbina suffered his first blown save of the season after saving all three wins in Boston's sweep of the Baltimore Orioles over the weekend. He gave up two singles, two walks and uncorked a wild pitch while retiring only one batter.
Entrusted with a 5-4 lead, Urbina (0-1) gave up a leadoff single to Raul Ibanez and walked A.J. Hinch. After the runners moved up on a wild pitch, the Royals tied the contest on Luis Alicea's grounder to second.
With the Red Sox forced to play the infield in, Chuck Knoblauch ripped a double inside the left-field line, giving Kansas City a 6-5 lead.
Knoblauch stole third when Neifi Perez walked on a 3-1 pitch, which ended Urbina's evening and brought on Willie Banks. Perez moved up when Banks' fastball crossed up catcher Jason Varitek for a wild pitch.
Carlos Beltran broke open the contest with a two-run double off Banks.
Jason Grimsley (1-0) got the win despite giving up the tie-breaking run in the bottom of the eighth. Grimsley also worked the ninth.
The Red Sox grabbed a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the eighth on Johnny Damon's two-out triple into the right-field corner that scored Rey Sanchez, who reached on a walk.
The Royals took a 1-0 lead on Ibanez's solo homer in the top of the second, but the Red Sox pounded Chad Durbin for four runs in the bottom half, going up 4-1 on Shea Hillenbrand's three-run shot.
After giving up a run in the sixth, Boston starter Frank Castillo left with a 4-2 lead and was in line to improve his career mark against the Royals to 5-0.
But Rolando Arrojo ran into control problems in the seventh and squndered the lead. He walked Ibanez and hit Hinch before Alicea reached on a bunt single to load the bases. Knoblauch brought in a run with a groundout and Perez tied the contest with a sacrifice fly.
