BOSTON -- Rookie left-hander Henry Owens showed a glimpse of what Red Sox fans are hoping for in the midst of a long season.

Owens worked eight solid innings, outpitching Kansas City’s ace Johnny Cueto, and Boston continued its success against the Royals with a 7-2 win on Friday night.

"A quality outing for Henry," Boston interim manager Torey Lovullo said. "What’s not to say about what he did? He got into a great rhythm. He and Blake (Swihart) were solid together. A two-pitch, at times a three-pitch mix for him. He got into a quality flow, rhythm."

Josh Rutledge hit a two-run homer and the Red Sox handed Cueto his worst start since he was picked up by Kansas City.

Catcher Swihart had four hits and drove in two runs and center fielder Mookie Betts had a double and two singles for the Red Sox, who improved to 10-2 against the Royals in the last two seasons.

"He controlled the game," Swihart said. "I’ve been working with him before we got to (the big leagues)."

Owens even pitched longer than the Red Sox hoped.

"We wanted him to touch the eighth inning," said Lovullo, who also said he thinks his club can still make the playoffs when pressed. "He was so efficient he went through the eighth inning."

Boston won its fourth straight, improving to 3-0 since Dave Dombrowski was hired as president of baseball operations.

Owens (2-1), making just his fourth major league start, gave up two runs (one earned) and four hits, walking one and striking out four.

Shortstop Alcides Escobar had a solo homer for the Royals, who lost their second straight after a five-game winning streak.

"No aspect of our game was tremendously good tonight," manager Ned Yost said. "One of those nights."

Cueto (2-2) was tagged for seven runs and 13 hits in six innings. He had allowed three or fewer runs in each of his four starts since being acquired from Cincinnati in late July.

"It's just a bad outing," he said through an interpreter. "He's going to keep his head up and get ready for his next start."

Rutledge homered into the Green Monster seats, making it 7-2 in the sixth inning, on a night when the Red Sox put up a solid offensive performance against one of the American League's top pitchers.

Cueto came in with a 2.46 ERA, ranked 10th in the majors. Boston entered with a 9-9 record against pitchers that were in the top 15 in the AL's ERA leaders.

With storm clouds on the horizon beyond the Green Monster, the Red Sox grabbed a 3-0 lead in the second. Swihart had an RBI double and right fielder Rusney Castillo scored when Escobar didn't handle left fielder Paulo Orlando's throw for an error. Betts added an RBI single.

The rain came briefly but passed, and Owens breezed by the AL’s top club.

Owens walked the first batter of the game and then retired the next nine, including six on fly balls, before third baseman Ben Zobrist doubled on the first pitch of the fourth. One out later, he scored when left fielder Hanley Ramirez bobbled first baseman Eric Hosmer's single for an error.

Boston added two runs in the fourth to make it 5-1. Swihart had a run-scoring single after Castillo tripled over the head of center fielder Lorenzo Cain. Betts singled and Swihart scored when Cain pushed the ball about 25 field away trying to scoop a short hop.

The 23-year-old Owens looked sharp from the start, mixing his fastball in the low 90s with a solid changeup.

NOTES: Boston RHP Clay Buchholz may not pitch again this season. He received a plasma-rich platelet injection in his elbow after the All-Star break and went to see Dr. James Andrews last week to confirm he could throw again. "He wasn't cleared 100 percent to begin all throwing activities," Red Sox interim manager Torey Lovullo said. The thought was he would originally be back in early September. ... Lovullo also said UTL Brock Holt was out of the lineup because he's "a little banged up."... Royals OF Alex Gordon is set to begin a rehab stint with Triple-A Omaha on Saturday. He has been on the DL since July 9 with a strained groin. ... RHP Matt Barnes (3-3) is set to make his second big-league start Saturday night for the Red Sox against Kansas City RHP Yordano Ventura (7-7). ... Red Sox manager John Farrell, who started chemotherapy for Stage 1 Lymphoma this week, was at Fenway for a team picture.