BOSTON (AP) - Pedro Ciriaco put Boston ahead with a two-run double in the seventh inning, Jon Lester had his third straight solid start and the Red Sox snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night.
The victory capped a day in which the Red Sox and the Dodgers discussed a major trade that would send Adrian Gonzalez, Boston's best hitter, to Los Angeles.
Minutes before the game, Gonzalez was scratched from the lineup. In Los Angeles, first baseman James Loney was pulled from the lineup against the Miami Marlins. Gonzalez was leading the Red Sox with 86 RBI, 145 hits and 37 doubles and was first in the majors with a .398 batting average with runners in scoring position.
They would be involved in a trade that was being discussed that would send right-hander Josh Beckett, left fielder Carl Crawford and infielder Nick Punto to Los Angeles, a baseball official informed of the discussions said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcements were made.