Red Sox 11, Royals 5: Quick Reaction

The Red Sox took out the Royals 11-5, supporting an unlucky Felix Doubront with more than enough runs to pick up the win. Frankly, though, if there's only one thing to take away from the game, it's this:

Will Middlebrooks is unbelievable.

After Adrian Gonzalez was granted a reprieve by the Baseball gods with a bloop single that scored the game's first run, Will Middlebrooks managed to take what looked like more of a defensive or excuse me swing, and almost tap a first pitch fastball around the pole in right field for an opposite-field three-run shot.

Four innings later and he was doubling over the center fielder's head.

And one inning after that, he caught a 1-0 pitch over the plate and put a tremendous charge into it, knocking it high off the foul pole in left field. It was, to say the least, a pretty good night for the third baseman.

He was not alone in his power display. David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia both joined him with homers to right, while Kelly Shoppach narrowly missed his own, settling for his first career triple, and Cody Ross added a ball to the wall in dead center for good measure. When all was said-and-done, they'd put 11 runs up on the board.

That wasn't quite needed in support of Felix Doubront, but with the luck he had tonight it could have been. Marlon Byrd misplayed a fly ball into a double in the first, costing Doubront a pair of runs right off the bat, and then a bunt and shattered bat ground ball that an off-balance Middlebrooks threw into right field cost him two more.

But what kind of a Red Sox game would it be if it didn't eventually get back to Bobby Valentine, who left a tiring Doubront in to give up three singles in the seventh while recording just one out, and then decided he would go for just one more batter. The walk that came on Doubront's 111th pitch was...predictable.

Luckily, Vicente Padilla (who had only gotten warmed up after Bobby played musical chairs with Andrew Miller and Franklin Morales for no clear reason) was able to end it there, inducing a double play. He would keep the rest of worn down bullpen out of the game with an impressive eight-out save.

So, hey, we're back in the win column, and Will Middlebrooks is dominating. A rare good day for Red Sox fans.