Dice-K sharp in return; Red Sox beat Royals 5-1

BOSTON (AP) - Daisuke Matsuzaka returned from the disabled list with his best start of the season and Cody Ross drove in three runs, leading the Boston Red Sox to a 5-1 win over the Kansas City Royals on Monday.

The Red Sox took three of four games in the wraparound series and won for the second time in three games since trading Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford in a salary-dumping, nine-player deal to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.

Jacoby Ellsbury had a solo homer and double for Boston, which opens a nine-game West Coast trip Tuesday night against the Los Angles Angels.

Matsuzaka (1-3), on the DL since early July with a strained neck muscle, gave up an unearned run and five hits, walking two and striking out six over seven innings in just his sixth start of the season.

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