Randy Dobnak RHP
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
2.54
52nd
WHIP
1.32
157th
K/9
6.08
212th
BB/9
3.25
114th
P-Score53i
FIP
–
HR/9
0.85
37th
OPS/R
–
IP
63.2
Last 5 starts
ERA
3.25
FinalFinal lineupsAL Central / AL East
Kansas City Royals 1, Boston Red Sox 5
Final Score and Game Recap
Final score, pitching lines and standings context.
4:10 PM ET · Fenway ParkGame-day snapshot Sep 12, 6:40 PM ETFinal lineups lockedCurrent 2026 season stats — updated Oct 12, 5:00 AM ET
Suarez strikes out 8 as Red Sox beat Royals 5-1
The pregame storyline held: Ranger Suarez gave Boston the edge on the mound, and the Red Sox turned that into a 5-1 win over the Royals on Saturday at Fenway Park.
Suarez worked 7 innings and limited Kansas City to 1 run on 5 hits, striking out 8 without a walk. The only damage against him was Carter Jensen’s solo homer in the sixth, which briefly cut Boston’s lead to 3-1. From there, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman combined for 2 scoreless innings to finish it, with Whitlock striking out 3 in a perfect eighth.
Boston’s offense was steady rather than explosive, scoring once in the fourth, twice in the sixth, once in the seventh and once in the eighth. Randy Dobnak kept the game quiet early, but Boston got to the Kansas City starter for 3 runs over 5.2 innings, and the Royals’ relievers allowed 2 more.
Adley Rutschman went 2 for 4 with 1 run and 1 RBI, Nick Sogard added 2 hits, 1 run and 1 RBI, and Wilyer Abreu drove in 2. Roman Anthony also had 2 hits as Boston finished with a 10-5 advantage in hits.
- Ranger Suarez: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K in the win.
- Boston scored in the 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th and out-hit Kansas City 10-5.
- Randy Dobnak allowed 3 runs in 5.2 innings; Royals relievers gave up 2 more.
Pitching recap
| Pitcher | Team | Role | IP | H | ER | BB | K | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randy Dobnak | KC | StarterLoss | 5.2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 81 |
| Ranger Suarez | BOS | StarterWin | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 96 |
Scoring by inning
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Royals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
 Boston Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 1 |
Top hitters
Carter Jensen1-for-4 · 1 HR · 1 RBI
Wilyer Abreu1-for-4 · 2 RBI
Adley Rutschman2-for-4 · 1 RBI · 1 R
Nick Sogard2-for-3 · 1 RBI · 1 R
Caleb Durbin1-for-3 · 1 RBI
Matchup at a glance
PitcherStat calculationPregame contextStarting pitchers
Ranger Suarez LHP
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
3.44
36th
WHIP
1.22
70th
K/9
8.40
93rd
BB/9
2.76
75th
P-Score64i
FIP
–
HR/9
0.55
14th
OPS/R
–
IP
130.2
Last 5 starts
ERA
3.90
Ranger Suarez’s all-around edge gives Red Sox a strong statistical setup against Royals
Saturday’s matchup at Fenway Park offers an interesting split between surface results and the fuller pitching picture.
Kansas City probable starter Randy Dobnak brings the lower ERA into the game at 2.54, well ahead of Ranger Suarez’s 3.44 mark for Boston. But nearly every other starting-pitching indicator leans the other way. Suarez owns the better FIP (3.11 to 4.10), lower WHIP (1.22 to 1.32), higher strikeout rate (8.4 K/9 to 6.1), lower walk rate (2.8 BB/9 to 3.3) and lower home-run rate (0.55 HR/9 to 0.85). He has also turned in quality starts at a much higher clip, 49% to 30%.
That combination gives Boston the more stable-looking starter profile, even if Dobnak’s run prevention has been excellent in his 10 starts. The gap in workload matters, too: Suarez has logged 130.2 innings across 25 starts, while Dobnak has worked 63.2 innings.
The broader team numbers also point slightly but consistently toward Boston. The Red Sox enter at 80-68, compared with Kansas City at 66-82, and they hold the edge in runs per game, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. None of those offensive gaps are huge — Boston’s .248 average is only one point better than Kansas City’s .247, and the OPS difference is just .007 — but the Red Sox have been a little better across the board over the full season.
Where this gets more interesting is recent scoring. Boston is 5-5 over its last 10 games and has averaged just 3.60 runs in that span, noticeably below its season rate of 4.42. Kansas City is 4-6 in its last 10, but the Royals have scored 4.20 runs per game over that stretch, almost matching their full-season output and topping Boston’s recent production.
If the game turns into a battle beyond the starters, Boston has another clear statistical advantage. The Red Sox bullpen carries a 3.49 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 8.9 K/9, all better than Kansas City’s 4.35 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 7.5 K/9.
So the shape of the matchup is fairly clear: Kansas City’s probable starter has the shinier ERA, but Boston brings the more convincing starting profile, the better overall record, and the stronger bullpen. For the Royals, keeping that recent scoring edge alive may be the cleanest path to offsetting those broader numbers.
- Suarez trails Dobnak in ERA, but leads in FIP, WHIP, K/9, BB/9, HR/9 and quality-start rate.
- Boston holds modest season-long offensive edges and owns the better overall record at 80-68 versus 66-82.
- The Red Sox also have the stronger bullpen, while Kansas City has scored more runs per game than Boston over the last 10 games.
How the lineups match the starters' pitch mix
Pitch data coverage: partial. Usage and velocity only.
Team OPS vs opposing starter's hand
Lineups
Final lineupsOrder from the stored snapshot; treat as unofficial until the card is filed.Full lineup page
Team comparison
KC·BOSAVG.248 8th.245 14th
OPS.718 16th.717 18th
Home runs170 21st163 26th
Runs690 22nd689 23rd
OBP.316 17th.319 11th
SLG.402 14th.398 19th
KC·BOS1stMLB rank30th
KCBOS
KCBOS
KCBOS
KCBOS
KC·BOS1stMLB rank30th
no league rank
no league rank
KCBOS
KC·BOS+22426th
Run differential
+33613th
69–93 Record87–75
4–6 Last 105–5
Last 10 games
W
W
L
L
W
L
L
W
L
L
L
L
L
W
W
W
W
W
L
L
2026 head-to-head
Season Series
2—4
Frequently asked
Who is starting for the Royals?+
Randy Dobnak (2.54 ERA, 3–3) is listed as the starter.
Who is starting for the Sox?+
Ranger Suarez (3.44 ERA, 6–4) is listed as the starter.
What time does the game start?+
4:10 PM ET at Fenway Park.
Where is the game being played?+
Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox.
Are the lineups confirmed?+
Not as official league cards. The orders shown are the current projected or last-posted lineups.
How have the Royals and Sox performed head-to-head?+
Season series: Sox 4–2 this season.
How do the starters compare on P-Score?+
Randy Dobnak is at 53; Ranger Suarez is at 64. P-Score is PitcherStat's 0–100 season index for qualified starters.