Colon finds time between his eight meals a day to get a win

Anyday now, Bartolo Colon could be pushing three bills but if he pitches consistently like last night, who cares? Get the guy a chalupa, would you?

Making his first start with the Red Sox (30-19), Colon was all you could ask from a fifth starter: he kept them in the game. Boston won 6-3 over the Royals (21-25), its sixth straight win on the currently unbeaten home stand.

Many moons have passed since Colon (with the Indians) and Pedro Martinez were dueling annually. Pedro is a shell of his former self with the Mets and might even walk away from baseball after this season. Who knows though, Pedro was always melodramatic. The great ones usually are.

Colon has won a Cy Young award and has been a 20-game winner twice but his career looked done the last few years after he battled various elbow and shoulder problems. It's no certainty that he'll win more than one or two more games this season but it's impressive that he's comeback this far.

American League rookie of the year front-runner Jacoby Ellsbury (3 hits, 3 runs, RBI, walk, steal) led off the bottom of the first with a home run.

The Royals tied it up in the third when good guy Jose Guillen knocked in Joey Gathright (3 runs, 2 hits, 2 walks, stolen base) with an RBI single.

Kansas City took a brief 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth when Alex Gordon knocked in Gordon with an RBI single but Boston put up four in the bottom of the inning.

Jason Varitek (2 hits) had a solo homer, Julio Lugo (2 hits) knocked in Coco Crisp with a single, David Ortiz had a sac fly (scoring Lugo) and Ellsbury scored on a wild pitch.

After the long inning, the Sox decided to call it a night for Colon (1-0). He went five innings, giving up two runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts. He threw 74 pitches and consistently reached the mid-90's with his fastball (although NESN's radar gun is probably juiced).

Craig Hansen, Javier Lopez and Manny Delcarmen combined for three clean innings, they collectively struck out three and didn't allow a hit.

Dustin Pedroia (3 hits) plated Ellsbury with the final Red Sox run in the eighth.

David DeJesus (3 hits) knocked in Gathright with an RBI single in the ninth off Mike Timlin (who should be the last guy out of the Boston bullpen) but that's as close as the Royals would get.

Boston goes for the four-game sweep this afternoon as Dice-K tries to stay unbeaten.