BOSTON — Were the Royals asked to define the “dog days” in the baseball calendar, they’d be hard-pressed to do better than simply point to Monday afternoon’s 5-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

The Royals rolled over against Daisuke Matsuzaka, a pitcher returning from a third stay on the disabled list, and suffered a third loss in four days to a club piecing together its lineup after overhauling a dysfunctional roster just before the series opened.

So ended a 2-5 tour that began with three games at Tampa Bay.

“We swung the bats well at times (on the trip),” designated hitter Billy Butler said. “We battled back in some games. Today, we just didn’t have a lot going for us.”

The Royals managed just one unearned run in seven innings against Matsuzaka, who made his first big-league start since July 2 and only his sixth of the season.

Matsuzaka, 1-3, gained his first victory in more than 15 months and since returning from Tommy John surgery on his elbow. He made five starts earlier this season before a strained neck muscle forced him back to the disabled list.

“I didn’t feel like I’d be able to come back strong again this season,” he said through a translator. “I went back to (the minors) and threw the ball really well. I knew if I could do that up here, the results would come.”

Yankees fall to Blue Jays in extra innings

NEW YORK — A reminder of what the Yankees’ primary minefield could be during the rest of the regular season came in the top of the fifth last night of a game the Yankees lost 8-7 in 11 innings.

A half-inning earlier, Mark Teixeira appeared to hurt himself when he fouled a ball off. Although he stayed in the game after being looked at by Joe Girardi, Eric Chavez replaced him at first base to start the fifth.

It was a roller-coaster affair for the Yankees, who held a two-run lead with two outs in the top of the ninth, saw Rafael Soriano give up a go-ahead three-run homer by Colby Rasmus — and promptly tied it at 7-7 on a home run by Derek Jeter off Blue Jays closer Casey Janssen, the Yankees’ fourth homer of the game.

Then an errant pickoff throw by Derek Lowe in the 11th set the stage for the Blue Jays to win it.

Other Scores

Cincinnati Reds 3, Arizona Diamondbacks 2

Oakland Athletics 3, Cleveland Indians 0

St Louis Cardinals 4, Pittsburgh Pirates 3

Texas Rangers 6, Tampa Bay Rays 5

Milwaukee Brewers 15, Chicago Cubs 4

Seattle Mariners 1, Minnesota Twins 0

Colorado Rockies 10, Los Angeles Dodgers 0

San Diego Padres 3, Atlanta Braves 0