KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell hit back-to-back doubles in a three-run first inning and Josh Beckett held Kansas City to two hits through five chilly innings Wednesday night, leading the Boston Red Sox past the Royals 7-1.

Kevin Youkilis added a two-run home run off reliever Todd Wellemeyer in the seventh to make it 6-1 as the temperature dipped to 39 degrees.

Beckett (1-0) allowed a two-out double to Mark Teahen in the first and a two-out double to Ross Gload in the fourth. He had five strikeouts and four walks while delivering Boston’s first win after Curt Schilling faltered in Monday’s season opener.

His 16 wins, 33 starts and 204 2-3 innings last year established career highs and led all Red Sox pitchers. After giving up three runs in the first, Odalis Perez (0-1) retired 13 of 15 before walking Manny Ramirez with one out in the sixth. After Drew singled, rookie Joakim Soria made his major league debut and surrendered a sacrifice fly to Jason Varitek that put the Red Sox on top 4-1.

Drew’s RBI double in the first was followed by Lowell’s two-run double.

Jason LaRue had a sacrifice fly for the Royals in the fourth.

It’s been a rough two games for Royals rookie third baseman Alex Gordon. The 2006 minor league player of the year is 0-for-7 with four strikeouts and hasn’t hit a ball out of the infield.

Beckett had to work himself out of a jam in the third inning after the normally sure-handed Lowell made fielding errors on consecutive ground balls to third. Lowell also had a throwing error with two outs in the ninth.

Mark Teahen, after being ahead 3-0, struck out on a 3-2 pitch and Mike Sweeney hit a slicing line drive into right-center which Drew ran down to end the inning.

Lowell’s six errors in 2005 tied the NL record for fewest by a third baseman with at least 135 games played, and his .977 fielding percentage coming into the season was tops among major league third baseman with at least 1,000 games.

Julio Lugo had an RBI single for Boston in the eighth.

Notes: The Royals placed RHP closer Octavio Dotel on the 15-day DL with a strained muscle on his left side. Manager Buddy Bell said the problem isn’t considered long-term. RHP David Riske will close in his absence. … The game-time temperature of 42 degrees was more than 30 degrees colder than the reading for Monday afternoon’s sunny season opener. … The only other time Lowell had two errors in an inning was on July 1, 2005.

AP-ES-04-04-07 2330EDT