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BOSTON -- If the Kansas City Royals are going to prevail in the rubber game of their three-game series against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday at Fenway Park, theyre probably going to have to figure out how to keep second baseman Dustin Pedroia off the base paths.The Red Sox leadoff man went 4-for-5 as Boston snapped a three-game losing skid with an 8-3 win against the Royals on Saturday. He has been on base in 18 straight games and has had a hit in 17 of those games. Before he grounded into a double play in the eighth inning he had a hit in 11 straight at-bats, one shy of the major-league record.Pedroia is 33-for-72 since being moved into the leadoff spot by manager John Farrell.Hes been hotter than a firecracker for sure, manager Ned Yost said Saturday after the Royals lost for just the second time in 13 games. Four-for-4 last night, 4-for-5 tonight, hes just in a real hot streak. And whats amazing to me, he keeps his bat in the zone. He can handle so many pitches. Hes just a really good hitter. Ive always thought that about him though.The Red Sox, who lead the league in runs scored, had scored seven runs during their three losses prior to Saturday when they beat hot Royals starter Danny Duffy. Now it appears theyre back on track and theyll look to keep their bats going in support of Eduardo Rodriguez, who makes his return to the rotation Sunday.We swung the bats well, Pedroia said Saturday. A lot of guys had great at-bats. What can you say? We beat a guy thats really tough. So well get to tomorrow and try to continue it.Rodriguez (2-5, 5.11 ERA) threw four no-hit innings with two walks and seven strikeouts in his last start Aug. 16 on the road against the Baltimore Orioles before he left with a hamstring injury. Rodriguez thought he would make his next start Aug. 21, but was scratched the night before.The Red Sox lost that game 10-5 to the Detroit Tigers with Henry Owens filling in as their start. Rodriguez will look for redemption against the Royals.Yeah, because I know it was partly my fault, Rodriguez told WEEI.com. I was supposed to pitch that game. I feel bad but I have to get ready for the next one.Rodriguez threw a simulate game Tuesday and a bullpen session Thursday in preparation for his next start.I was able to throw all my pitches where I wanted them, Rodriguez told the Boston Herald. It feels good.The Royals will counter with right-hander Yordano Ventura, who has been tough to hit in August. Ventura (9-9, 4.27 ERA) is 3-0 with a 2.03 ERA in six starts in August. The Royals have won all six games Ventura started this month. Its been quite a turnaround for Ventura after he went 0-4 with a 4.55 ERA in July.Alex Gordon hasnt been as hot as Pedroia but hes been a catalyst for the Royals offense. He went 1-for-4 with a double Saturday to extend his hitting streak to five games. He has at least one hit in 16 of his past 17 games, hitting .349 (22-for-63) in that span. 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LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- In a show of unity after sharp divisions caused by the Russian doping scandal, Olympic leaders gave the World Anti-Doping Agency increased powers Saturday to lead the fight against drug cheats and pushed ahead with plans for a separate independent body to carry out global drug-testing.A summit of top global sports officials backed WADA to continue to oversee worldwide anti-doping efforts, upholding the agencys central role following months of strained relations caused by its call to ban Russia from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics over state-sponsored cheating.The leaders called for WADA to lead a more robust, more efficient, more transparent, and more harmonized anti-doping system, and promised more funding for the cash-strapped agency if it enacts reforms.This is a clear commitment by the entire Olympic movement to an independent and harmonized worldwide fight by a stronger anti-doping agency, IOC President Thomas Bach said in a conference call after the closed-door, four-hour meeting at a Lausanne hotel.The summit also supported previously announced plans for the Court of Arbitration for Sport to take over the role of imposing sanctions on doping cheats, removing the responsibility from sports federations in order to make the system more independent. CAS handled doping sanctions during the Rio Games for the first time.But the over-arching thrust of the meeting was to give support to a reinforced WADA, which was set up by the IOC in 1999. The leaders said WADA would hold the regulatory role in the worldwide anti-doping fight.Im very happy with it, WADA President Craig Reedie said after the meeting. We now have a clear set of principles established by the IOC. We are to be given substantial additional authority and substantial additional powers. I am perfectly happy with that.The meeting came following a spate of public attacks on WADA by several IOC members, who believed the agency was slow to respond to doping in Russia and then overstepped its remit by pushing for the countrys exclusion from the Rio Games.The IOC rejected WADAs recommendation -- which followed a report by investigator Richard McLaren that detailed systematic doping and cover-ups -- and let international sports federations decide which individual Russian athletes could compete in Rio.A three-page statement issued after the summit made no mention of Russia or the scandal.Bach, however, said giving WADA more authority over national anti-doping agencies could help prevent further cases of non-compliance, citing Russia and Kenya specifically.The summit also supported the plan, first announced a year ago, for creation of a new anti-doping testing body within the frameworkk of WADA, that would also have intelligence gathering and investigative powers.dddddddddddd The intention is to have the body operating in time for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.It is quite a complex area, Reedie said. Theres questions of who will use it and questions of finance.WADA was asked to discuss the proposals at board meetings on Nov. 19-20 in Glasgow, Scotland.The summit also called for strengthening WADAs governance structure, and approval of a policy to encourage and protect whistleblowers.Russian runner Yulia Stepanova and her husband helped expose the widespread doping in their homeland, and are living in hiding in the United States. The IOC rejected Stepanovas bid to run as an independent athlete in Rio.Still to be determined is who has the power to sanction countries for non-compliance with WADAs rules, an issue brought to light by the Russian crisis. Bach said the issue was not discussed in detail at the summit because governments also need to be involved, again citing Russia.The general rule is that you do not want to see the prosecutor also being the judge, Bach said, indicating that WADA should not be handling both roles.Reedie said he believed WADA would have the power to sanction federations and national anti-doping bodies.I hope so, he said. We have been given powers on compliance. We are going to produce a whole range of potential sanctions for different degrees of non-compliance. That is in our hands and we will do that.If we are granted these powers ... I can assure you they will be used properly and well.Bach reiterated that the IOC has two commissions looking into the Russian case, including one dealing with possible sanctions resulting from alleged manipulation of Russian doping samples during the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.Bach said the IOC would not rely on McLarens report on its own, saying the Canadian had not given the Russians the chance to respond.You have to give a fair hearing to everybody, Bach, a German lawyer, said. You have to make the difference between the prosecutor and the judge in order to have a legally sustainable and judicial procedure.The summit also pledged to offer increased funding to WADA, which has an annual budget of about $30 million. The budget is covered 50-50 by contributions from the Olympic movement and national governments.The increase in financing depends on the implementation of the reforms by WADA, and is based on the results provided by WADA after the review of the anti-doping system, the IOC statement said.---Wilson reported from London. ' ' '