Kansas City, Mo. ? Even in a game as unpredictable as baseball, some results seem almost easy to call.

Darrell May vs. Curt Schilling was the perfect example.

May gave up three two-run homers while Schilling allowed only three runs total, and the Boston Red Sox snapped a four-game losing skid with an 8-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

“I’m disappointed in how I finished again,” said Schilling (7-3), who went seven innings and gave up three runs on six hits.

The Royals scored twice in the seventh against Schilling, who won his third in a row.

“I continue to be disappointed with the way I’m pitching after the sixth inning. But it’s a win. It feels good,” he said. “We’d like to get on a little roll here and get back to the team we are.”

David Ortiz, Mark Bellhorn and Kevin Youkilis each hit two-run home runs off May (2-8), the first major-league starter with eight losses. His 17 homers allowed also are the most among AL pitchers.

“It’s so frustrating because I have no idea,” said May, who has a 6.14 earned-run average. “In the bullpen between starts, it’s been great. But I get out there, and it’s like two different people.”

Schilling gave up a 445-foot home run to Mike Sweeney on his ninth pitch, and then shut out the Royals until Benito Santiago’s sacrifice fly with one out in the seventh.

Mike Timlin pitched a hitless eighth, and Keith Foulke allowed Santiago’s homer in the ninth.

May was charged with seven runs on 10 hits, including Boston’s first back-to-back triples in almost five years.

“Obviously, if I keep the ball in the park it is possibly a different game,” May said.

Bellhorn singled in the first ahead of Ortiz’s 12th homer. In the third, Johnny Damon — the only Boston starter without a hit — reached on Sweeney’s fielding error at first. Then Bellhorn hit his seventh homer, putting the Red Sox on top 4-1.

With one out in the fourth, Gabe Kapler tripled over Matt Stairs in right. Then, Pokey Reese hit a deep fly to left-center that eluded Desi Relaford for another three-base hit.

After Kevin Millar singled with two outs in the fifth, Youkilis hit May’s first pitch for his second big-league homer.

Jason Varitek’s RBI single made it 8-1 in the top of the seventh.

After Santiago’s sacrifice fly made it 8-2, Angel Berroa hit an RBI single.

Ken Harvey doubled leading off the seventh for Kansas City and extended his hitting streak to 14 games. He finished 1-for-4 and his average fell to .374.

Sweeney’s homer was the first Schilling allowed in five starts, since Santiago took him deep in Boston’s 9-1 victory in Boston on May 8.

“I’ve taken the ball 12 times and (the team has) won nine games. So I’m ecstatic about that,” Schilling said. “But I don’t feel like I’ve been throwing anywhere near as well or as consistently as I should be, and can be and will be.”

Red Sox manager Terry Francona flew in a private jet to attend his son’s high school graduation in Pennsylvania and was back just in time for batting practice.

“I’m exhausted, but it feels good to get a win,” he said.

Notes: The start was delayed 22 minutes by rain. … The last time Boston had back-to-back triples was Aug. 18, 1999, by Trot Nixon and Jose Offerman against Oakland’s Kevin Appier. … The Royals are 5-9 against the AL East.