Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Clay Buchholz turned in seven scoreless frames and Mike Lowell knocked in the lone run as Boston nipped Kansas City, 1-0, in the third of four between the clubs at Fenway Park.
J.D. Drew and David Ortiz each doubled for the Red Sox, who snapped a two-game slide and won for the sixth time in eight games.
Buchholz (7-3) scattered four hits while fanning four and walking four, and won for the fourth straight start. Jonathan Papelbon closed the door in the ninth for his 12th save.
"He has all his pitches. As a hitter, sometimes, you look for a two-seamer, here he comes with a four-seamer," said Boston catcher Victor Martinez of Buchholz. "The way he's been pitching, he's pretty tough to face. It's more fun being behind the plate calling a game for him than facing him."
Scott Podsednik collected two hits for the Royals, whose three-game win streak was halted.
Zack Greinke (1-6) was the hard-luck loser, limiting the Sox to five hits and a run over six innings.
"I was a little more fine today. I missed a bunch just barely off the plate where the last time I was just attack, attack, attack," Greinke said of his performance. "Usually, it works better to attack the Red Sox team but I tried to and just kept missing by a little bit."
Boston broke through in the second, when Adrian Beltre singled, Drew smacked a double, then Lowell plated Beltre on a grounder to second. The Sox, though, came up empty with two on in the third, as well as in the fifth and seventh with the bases loaded.
Buchholz was in control throughout, and was helped along by two double plays in the early going. In the sixth, Podsednik singled but was caught stealing second, and even though David DeJesus doubled off Beltre's glove and Billy Butler was given a free pass, Buchholz worked out of trouble by inducing a fielder's choice grounder from Jose Guillen.
He closed out his start by setting down the Royals in order in the seventh.
Daniel Bard allowed a leadoff double to Jason Kendall in the eighth but emerged unscathed.
Papelbon finished off the game with a 1-2-3 ninth.
The season series is tied, 3-3...Prior to the game, the Royals placed pitcher Gil Meche on the 15-day disabled list with bursitis in his pitching shoulder. The club recalled hurler Victor Marte from Triple-A Omaha to fill the roster spot.