FINALLY!

Jim Monaghan
Content Coordinator

BREAKING NEWS - a Red Sox starting pitcher did his job!

Rick Porcello threw six strong innings and then we all held our collective breath as the bullpen combination of Matt Barnes and Nathan Eovaldi imploded for four runs.

Photo courtesy of USA Today
Yes, it was only the Royals, but for Porcello (pictured) the two runs he allowed marked the fewest for him since throwing a shutout against the Twins on June 17.

The end result was a much-needed 7-5 win for the Red Sox over Kansas City at Fenway Park, ending an eight-game losing streak.

Following that disastrous skein that put a serious dent in their playoff hopes, Boston scored three times in the third and seventh innings, giving them enough of a cushion to hold off Kansas City.

Rafael Devers, Andrew Benintendi and Michael Chavis each had two hits in the win, with Benintendi and Sam Travis each driving in a pair of runs.

But wait...it gets a little better.

The Indians, Rays and Athletics - the three teams the Red Sox are looking up at in the Wild Card standings - all lost Monday night.

We can see the headlines now - "PENNANT FEVER GRIPS HUB!"

Alright...so maybe we're exaggerating a bit. Either way, it beats the previous eight games.

Click here to find more by Jim Monaghan on Red Sox Life. Follow him on twitter - @Monaghan21.