The left-hander held the Boston Red Sox to a single run through six innings pitched, but it wasn't enough to overcome a 4-1 loss on Sunday.
Noah Cameron dealt on the rubber in typical fashion during the Kansas City Royals' Sunday finale against the Boston Red Sox, fanning four batters and only surrendering four hits and a single earned run through six innings pitched.
Still, the left-hander's efforts were insufficient for the Royals to walk away with a series win after the relief duo of Craig Kimbrel and Nate Pearson combined for three runs allowed, resulting in a 4-1 loss at Fenway Park.
Manager Matt Quatraro praised the 27-year-old Cameron for his resiliency in spite of Boston's offense driving up his pitch count through the first couple innings.
"It was pretty impressive for him to get back on his normal pitch count after a 30-pitch first and close to a 20-pitch second," manager Matt Quatraro said, according to MLB.com. "He threw the ball really well. It was a fly-ball home run, other than that he did a heck of a job."
The Red Sox got to work early as Jahmai Jones refused to give in until Cameron got him down swinging on a nasty sixth-pitch changeup. Willson Contreras presented an even greater challenge for Cameron, laying off his signature curveball and four-seamer to eventually draw an eight-pitch walk.
Cameron held on to force a groundout from Adley Rutschman and strand a pair of runners at first and second base. Still, Caleb Durbin made him pay for a hanging four-seamer, crushing it to left-center field for a solo homer in the second to give Boston the lead.
Cameron also struggled against Nick Sogard and Nate Eaton, taking a combined 12 pitches to get both hitters out to end the inning.
He had a much quicker third inning, recording two outs on two pitches while still having to battle his way through Wilyer Abreu who finally flew out on a seventh-pitch cutter. Cameron also found himself in a bases-loaded jam during the fourth, which he got out of when Sogard grounded out into an inning-ending double play.
Cameron's grit would give Kansas City the chance they needed to tie it at 1-1 in the seventh when Carter Jensen drove in John Rave with an RBI single. That was all they got though as Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock retired Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino to put a stop to the rally.
Unfortunately, that came back to haunt the Royals that same inning when Kimbrel issued back-to-back walks to Durbin and Sogard that put a runner in scoring position. Kimbrel would be charged with a run despite his removal from the game when Roman Anthony brought home Durbin with an RBI single off Connor Thomas.
Pearson's eighth-inning troubles then dug Kansas City into a hole when Trevor Story scored Contreras and Rutschman with a two-run single. Closer Aroldis Chapman finished off the Royals in the ninth, recording three-straight punchouts to seal the game in Boston's favor.
Even with the loss, Quatraro also acknowledged just how hard his starter fought to keep the club in it until the very end.
"He battles, that's probably his Number 1 characteristic," Quatraro said. "He's exceptionally competitive and he’s been on a really good run here lately the way he throws the ball. He has a lot of confidence and we have a lot of confidence in him."
Cameron has now compiled a 3.84 ERA and 149 strikeouts and should get his next opportunity to take the mound during the Royals' upcoming series against the Pittsburgh Pirates later in the week.
