BOSTON -- Salvador Perez and Yordano Ventura put the Kansas City Royals back on track Saturday night.

Perez hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning and Ventura tossed six quality innings to cool off the Boston Red Sox's hot bats as the Royals ended a two-game skid with a 6-3 win at Fenway Park.

"It's very good," Perez said. "Any win is important. So we're going to do everything that we can do to win the game."

Perez, who has the most of hits of any American League catcher, slugged an opposite-field homer on a 1-1 fastball that cleared the bullpens in right field. It was hit 18th home run of the season, a career high for the 25-year-old.

"Especially Salvy hitting the ball out of the ballpark that way, that's a huge sign," Royals manager Ned Yost said.

The right-handed Ventura (8-7) allowed one run, six hits and a walk and struck out six for Kansas City (74-48) to snap Boston's season-high four-game winning streak.

"(I) felt great out there," Ventura said through a translator. "(I) was able to utilize all (my) pitches for strikes, the cutter, sinker, changeup. It's all very comfortable with all those pitches."

The Red Sox (56-67) had won six of eight and scored 73 runs during that span.

"I think Ventura did a good job of really bearing down when we had men in scoring position," Red Sox interim manager Torey Lovullo said. "I know we left a number of men on base in critical moments. We just couldn't get the big hit tonight."

Designated hitter Kendrys Morales, who entered the night ranked third in the American League in RBIs, drove in his 84th and 85th runs of the season on a first-inning double off the Green Monster in left, giving the Royals a 2-0 lead.

An eighth-inning RBI single from Kansas City right fielder Alex Rios made it 6-2.

Right-handed closer Greg Holland entered with two on and two outs in the ninth and gave up an RBI single to Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts before walking designated hitter David Ortiz to load the bases for first baseman Travis Shaw.

Holland forced Shaw to pop out to end the game and pick up his 28th save.

Matt Barnes (3-4) struggled in his second major league start for Boston. The right-hander surrendered five runs, eight hits and a walk and struck out two in 5 1/3 innings.

"I thought I had good command of the ball, four pitches," Barnes said. "(Morales) put a pretty good swing on it. And then again to Perez, just trying to go away from him, expand off and it wasn't a bad pitch, it was a little up. But he had a pretty good swing on it."

Shaw drove in the Red Sox's first run with an RBI groundout in the sixth and center fielder Mookie Betts launched a home run, his 11th of the season, an inning later.

Jackie Bradley Jr. struck out three times, but the Boston right fielder made a nice play in the outfield, chasing down a seventh-inning fly ball near the wall.

Ortiz was the only Red Sox with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-2 with two walks, and catcher Blake Swihart was 1-for-4 after Friday’s four-hit outing.

Boston left field Hanley Ramirez snapped an 0-for-16 slump with a two-out, eighth-inning double that put two runners in scoring position, but Swihart popped out to end the threat.

NOTES: Kansas City had not won at Fenway Park since sweeping a doubleheader on April 21, 2013. ... Boston hasn't won five straight games since July 13-21, 2014, which included a three-game sweep of Kansas City. ... Royals CF Lorenzo Cain and RF Alex Rios were scheduled to be off, but manager Ned Yost kept them in the lineup after back-to-back losses Cain was 2-for-5 and Rios was 3-for-4 with an RBI. ... Kansas City RHP Yordano Ventura was 0-2 with a 7.15 ERA in two starts against the Red Sox before Saturday. ... Royals relievers had not allowed a run in 18 2/3 innings coming in, but gave up two Saturday. ... Boston 2B Brock Holt (left oblique tightness) was a late scratch. Josh Rutledge started at second. ... Boston RHP Rick Porcello gave up three runs in 5 2/3 innings Friday in a rehab start for Triple-A Pawtucket. "He had command of all three pitches," Red Sox interim manager Torey Lovullo said. Porcello will throw a bullpen session Sunday. ... Red Sox icon Carl Yastrzemski celebrated his 76th birthday on Saturday.