The Royals endured a frustrating 1-0 loss to the Red Sox on Monday night at Royals Stadium.

Kansas City got six walks from Boston starter Luis Tiant, plus four hits and another hit off Red Sox reliever Bill Campbell, but went 0-13 with runners in scoring position. The Royals left two runners on in both of the first two innings, wasted a leadoff single and stolen base from Frank White in the fifth, and most frustratingly, loaded the bases in the sixth with one out and got nothing.

The ninth inning was no different for the Royals. Campbell had entered the game in the eighth after Tiant issued a leadoff walk to John Mayberry, but got a strikeout and two groundouts. Pinch-hitter Pete LaCock led off the ninth with a single off Campbell, and White bunted pinch-runner Joe Zdeb to second. But George Brett flied out to left, Hal McRae struck out, and the game was over.

Royals starter Dennis Leonard deserved better. He pitched a complete game, holding the Red Sox to five hits and two walks. Leonard struck out six.

The game’s lone run came when Carl Yastrzemski led off the seventh with a home run, his ninth of the year.

With the loss, the Royals dropped to 24-26. They remained in fifth place in the AL West, six games behind Minnesota.

Today’s birthdays: Edgar Caceres (1964), Tony Graffanino (1972), Jeremy Affeldt (1979), Irving Falu (1983)