Boston Red Sox defeat Kansas City Royals, 8-4

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- We will not credit Curt Schilling for world peace or a cure for the common cold.

Nor will we say he saved the season. What he did in a seven-inning outing in an 8-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals last night was bring some stability back to a starting rotation that was wobbly over the previous nine games. Whether the stability was confined to one night or whether it will rub off on Derek Lowe today and the remainder of the starters on the next homes...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- With the Red Sox mired in a four-game losing skid, David Ortiz reported for last night's game against the Royals to discover Terry Francona missing. The media had gathered on schedule in the manager's office for their daily briefing, but Francona's desk was unoccupied, as if it were a memorial to a lost skipper.

"What happened?" Ortiz inquired as bench coach Brad Mills respectfully moderated the briefing from a separate chair next to Francona's desk....