Cameron delivers another solid start in career-high outing

BOSTON – Sometimes, as a starting pitcher, you might think you’re in for a pitchers' duel. Obviously, you just never know in this game.

But when the opposing starter comes out and throws an immaculate inning in the top of the first, it’s a pretty good sign you better have your A-game.

Minus a first-pitch fastball down the middle that Boston’s Caleb Durbin hit over the Green Monster in the second inning, 27-year-old left-hander Noah Cameron was solid on Sunday afternoon when the Royals lost the series finale to the Red Sox, 4-1, at Fenway Park and fell short of winning their fourth straight road series for the first time since 2017.

Payton Tolle sent the Royals down 1-2-3 in the first on nine pitches, becoming Boston’s first to open a game with an immaculate inning since Hall of Famer Pedro Martínez did it against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway on May 18, 2002.

Cameron certainly noticed.

“He’s obviously amazing, having a great year, just an absolute bulldog on the mound, everybody sees it,” Cameron said. “We knew coming in it’s going to be a tough game, a tough game for the hitters coming against him.

“After that immaculate inning, it was like: ‘Hopefully I don’t give up 10 runs here,” he said, smiling in the back of the clubhouse. “It’s just more about getting the guys back in [to the dugout] and making [Tolle] work a little harder on the mound.”

Making his career-high 28^th start, Cameron gave up his lone run over six solid innings, giving up just four hits with four strikeouts and a walk.

He kept it close until his teammates rallied late to tie it.

The lefty came into the day having given up no runs in four of his previous eight starts. On Sunday, it didn’t look like he’d be out there matching Tolle very long after a 30-pitch first inning.

“It was pretty impressive for him to get back on his normal pitch count after a 30-pitch first and close to a 20-pitch second,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “He threw the ball really well. It was a fly-ball home run, other than that he did a heck of a job.”

Looking for their fourth straight road series win for the first time since 2017, the Royals tied it in the seventh on Carter Jensen’s pinch-hit RBI single down the first-base line.

“I think we certainly we had the momentum there,” second baseman Michael Massey said. “For six innings, they kind of had control of the game, even though it was a one-nothing game. It was kind of one of those games where Noah did a good job keeping us in it. One of those games where it’s going to take one big swing to kind of turn it on its head.”

But it didn’t happen. The Red Sox took the lead against the bullpen in the seventh and added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth.

Cameron surely did his job.

“He battles, that’s probably his Number 1 characteristic,” Quatraro said. “He’s exceptionally competitive and he’s been on a really good run here lately the way he throws the ball. He has a lot of confidence and we have a lot of confidence in him.”

Overall, Cameron threw 85 pitches, 57 for strikes, relying a bit more on his slider than usual.

“Obviously, a long first inning. I was thankful to get out of there,” he said.

Unfortunately, it just wasn’t quite enough in this tough season for the Royals (66-84).