The Royals enjoyed their first day off since the All-Star break as they waited for the Boston Red Sox to arrive in Kansas City for a three-game series. The Royals had played on 18 straight days since the break. The Red Sox also had the day off and were coming to town with a 49-47 record. That put them in fifth place in the AL East, 12.5 games behind New York.

Today’s birthdays: Vida Blue (1949), Carmelo Martinez (1960), Bob Milacki (1964)