KANSAS CITY -- For the Red Sox, it’s time to hit the reset button after a string of 17 consecutive playing days ended on Sunday afternoon with a thud.

Boston didn’t have the pitching, hitting or defense to keep up with the Royals in a 13-5 loss at Kauffman Stadium. The Red Sox, who dropped three of four in the series, will finally have an off-day on Monday before getting back to work against the Braves on Tuesday night at Fenway Park.

After taking two of three against the powerful Astros, the Red Sox wilted under some intense Kansas City summer heat and the 3-4 road trip ended in disappointing fashion.

“We didn’t play good baseball here,” manager Alex Cora said. “The whole thing of, ‘We’re going to be fine,’ … we better start winning games. It’s very important. We’ve got a tough week with the Braves, the Orioles, the Yankees. We’ve got to play good baseball to beat those teams.”

The road trip finale, which dropped the Red Sox (54-56) two games under .500, was particularly tough on center fielder Jarren Duran. Battling the sun all day, Duran failed to catch up to a couple of Kansas City extra-base hits in the third and fifth innings, respectively. And then, after a two-run homer by Tommy Pham brought Boston within 5-3 in the seventh, the afternoon got worse for Duran.

Nate Eaton started the Kansas City seventh with a routine fly to center that Duran completely lost in the sun for what turned into a triple. Kyle Isbel launched a deep drive to right-center and Duran couldn’t secure the catch. Another triple and an RBI. Duran did make a diving catch on the following hitter, MJ Melendez. But it was still good for a sacrifice fly that put the Royals up 7-3.

“He’s our center fielder right now, so we trust him,” Cora said of Duran. “He’s a kid that is part of what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Duran addressed the media after the game to talk about his day in a tough sun field.

“All of them were right out in the open and last second they got in the sun,” Duran said.

After the Melendez sacrifice fly, Duran had an exchange with some fans who were on the Pepsi Porch beyond the center-field wall.

“They happened to be throwing little bottle caps at me,” Duran said. “I was just telling them to stop throwing it. One of the ushers came over. Little bottle caps, but nothing major.”

Right fielder Alex Verdugo came over to intervene at that juncture.

“[Verdugo] came over and just patted me on the back and said, ‘Hey man, don’t worry about it, we all have those days’”, Duran said.

Duran said Pham told him he once had three sun balls in Cincinnati.

“They were just telling me that it happens, even though you think you are the only one it has happened to,” Duran said.

Boston starter Kutter Crawford yielded five runs in five innings. The big blow was a three-run homer by Melendez.

“I was going for the punchout and didn’t execute,” Crawford said. “Threw him a hanging curveball.”

It was that kind of slip-and-slide day for the Red Sox. Monday’s off-day couldn’t come at a better time.