Royals bash Wakefield, Sox

Now the Sox will face Kansas City ace Zack Greinke tonight, having lost three of five games against the Royals this season.

“We got our [butts] kicked,’’ David Ortiz said. “You come back and play the game. Turn the page. We were playing so well. Not that we were taking anything for granted. Kansas City, they play the game to win, too. That’s what they’ve been doing the last few days.

“I guess that’s how the game goes. You feel like you’re on top of your game and you get [a performance] like that. That’s why you’ve got to get a fresh mind. You’ve got to come back and fight.’’

A night after they drew eight walks against Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Royals drove Tim Wakefield (1-3) off the mound in the fourth inning.

The righthander looked every bit his 43 years, giving up nine runs on 12 hits and three walks. The nine earned runs were the most Wakefield has allowed as a member of the Red Sox. He gave up nine against the Reds July 2, 1993 while playing for the Pirates.

“I feel bad for the guys out there,’’ Wakefield said. “It’s embarrassing.’’

The Royals finished with 20 hits, their most at Fenway Park and most overall since July 9, 2005 against the Twins. Every Kansas City starter scored at least one run and had at least one hit.

The last three hitters in their order, Mitch Maier, Yuniesky Betancourt, and Jason Kendall, were 8 for 14 with seven RBIs.

By the top of the ninth inning, the Red Sox sent utilityman Bill Hall out to pitch for the first time in his nine-year career. He retired all three batters he faced on ground balls as the crowd finally had something baseball-related to cheer.

“I felt good. I hadn’t pitched since high school,’’ said Hall, who threw only fastballs and hit 89 miles per hour. “It was always something I always wanted to do just to see if I still had it.’’

The Red Sox built a 5-2 lead for Wakefield after three innings thanks to an early burst of offense against Royals starter Kyle Davies.

Marco Scutaro doubled to lead off the first inning and scored on an opposite-field single by Ortiz, who arrived roughly 90 minutes before the game after attending a memorial service in New York for former big league pitcher Jose Lima, who died Sunday.