BOSTON - It doesn't make much sense, but then again nothing the Red Sox have done over the last two seasons has made much sense.
But as often as they've lost since the start of the 2014 season, they seem to save some of their best stuff for the Kansas City Royals.
That was the case Thursday night, too, as the Sox took the first game of a four-game series, 4-1.
The Sox are now a major league-best 9-2 over the Royals since the start of 2014, with a 60-35 edge in scoring in those 11 games.
Danny Duffy hadn't had much success against the Red Sox coming into Thursday's game. In four career starts, Duffy was 0-2 with a 5.23 ERA.
His luck didn't change Thursday night, either. Duffy didn't help himself much to start things off as he allowed two singles and a walk to load the bases, and then walked in Travis Shaw to give the Sox a 1-0 lead.
Boston would strike again in the 3rd inning when with Hanley Ramirez and Travis Shaw in scoring position, Ryan Hanigan singled to left to drive in both.
Boston Red Sox
In the next at-bat, Jackie Bradley Jr. - who else? - tripled to right field that scored Hanigan, and the Sox took a 4-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Wade Miley was dealing on the mound.
Miley was coming off a start in which the Sox scored 19 runs while he was on the mound, but he didn't need that run support on Thursday.
It wasn't until the fifth inning that the Royals got a batter past first base, as Mike Moustakas hit a solo home run to right field.
That would be the extent of the Royals damage on Miley, who lasted 7 1/3 innings allowing the one run on six hits and no walks. He struck out six and threw 114 pitches, 80 for strikes, before he was lifted in the 8th inning with a man on second base.
Alexi Ogando got out of the 8th-inning jam and Junichi Tazawa came on for his second save in two nights.