KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Interstat) — Connelly Early pitched six strong innings and Jarren Duran drove in three runs, including a tiebreaking two-run homer in the seventh inning, as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Kansas City Royals 4-3 on Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium.

Early allowed three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out seven to improve to 4-2. Aroldis Chapman earned his 12th save with a scoreless ninth inning. Steven Cruz took the loss, falling to 0-2 after allowing two runs on three hits in one inning of relief. The game drew an announced crowd of 14,091 and lasted 2 hours, 48 minutes.

The Red Sox improved to 22-27 with their third consecutive win in the series after a 7-1 victory Tuesday and a 3-1 win Monday. The Royals dropped to 20-30.

Boston struck first in the second inning against Royals starter Michael Wacha. Willson Contreras led off with a triple to right field. Ceddanne Rafaela reached on a fielding error by second baseman Nick Loftin, putting runners at the corners. Nick Sogard singled to right field, scoring Contreras and advancing Rafaela to third. After a walk to Marcelo Mayer loaded the bases, Carlos Narváez grounded into a double play that allowed Rafaela to score, giving the Red Sox a 2-0 lead.

Kansas City had taken an early lead in the first inning. Salvador Perez hit a solo home run, his eighth of the season, to left field off Early, cutting the deficit to 2-1. The Royals tied the game in the fifth inning. Starling Marte drew a leadoff walk, and Elias Díaz followed with a two-run homer to left-center field, his second of the year, putting Kansas City ahead 3-2.

Boston reclaimed the lead in the seventh. Carlos Narváez led off with a single to left field. Mickey Gasper struck out, but Duran launched a two-run homer to left field, his sixth of the season, scoring Narváez and giving the Red Sox a 4-3 advantage.

The Royals threatened in the bottom of the ninth against Chapman. Starling Marte reached on a pop-up single that deflected off first baseman Willson Contreras. Carter Jensen struck out but Marte advanced to second on a passed ball. Lane Thomas flied out to right field, and Maikel Garcia grounded out to third base to end the game.

Duran finished 2 for 5 with a triple, a home run and three RBIs. Contreras went 3 for 4 with a triple and a run scored. Narváez added two hits and scored twice. For Kansas City, Perez had two hits, including the solo homer, and Díaz drove in two runs with his home run. Bobby Witt Jr. doubled in the third inning and finished 1 for 4. Jac Caglianone collected two singles.

Wacha worked six innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on eight hits with three strikeouts and one walk. Cruz entered in the seventh and surrendered Duran’s homer. Chapman allowed one hit and struck out one in the ninth.

The game turned in the seventh when Duran, with one out and Narváez on first, drove a 1-2 pitch from Cruz over the left-field wall. The blast erased a 3-2 deficit and proved decisive after the Royals had rallied from an early two-run hole.

Boston’s victory capped a three-game sweep of the Royals and gave the Red Sox their fourth win in the past five games. Kansas City, which had won five of its previous seven, dropped its second straight.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Boston 4, Kansas City 3. Interstat’s ELO system gave Boston a 51.20 percent probability to win. The Red Sox were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total of 7 runs went over the over-under line of 8.