Yankee 8, Royals 3: A-Rod, Andy Pettitte Too Much For Kansas City

Alex Rodriguez homered twice on Wednesday night, and he was not the only elder statesman with something to show. Andy Pettitte continued his welcome back tour with a seven-inning gem, as the Yankees topped the Kansas City Royals by a final score of 8-3.

A-Rod went yard in the bottom of the first inning, a two-run shot that followed Curtis Granderson's round tripper to start the inning. He sent his second over center with a 421-foot blast.

Pettitte picked up his second win in two games. This was only the 39-year-old left-hander's third start back in the majors. He struck out eight batters and allowed two runs to go with seven hits and one walk. This was the second straight game in which Pettitte struck out at least eight batters this season.

Royals starter Will Smith was making his major league debut on Wednesday night. He lasted three and a third innings, allowing five earned runs, including both of A-Rod's homers. Billy Butler hit his ninth home run of the season for the Royals.

The win makes it two of three for the Yankees over the Royals. They get a travel day tomorrow before opening a weekend series in Oakland

For more on the Yankees, please be sure to check out our blog Pinstripe Alley and SB Nation New York for all the latest news and updates.

Yankees (22-21) Vs. Royals (17-25) Preview: Game Time, TV Schedule, Probable Pitchers

The New York Yankees will try to take the rubber match of their three game series with the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.

After getting blanked 6-0 in the first affair, the Bronx Bombers rallied back Tuesday night for a 3-2 victory to move back over the .500 mark.

Now Andy Pettitte takes the hill looking to build off of his stellar effort against Cincinnati last week. The lefty comes in with a 1-1 mark and a 2.51 ERA.

If New York can get consistently good outings out of Pettitte, it has to feel very good about the rotation going forward.

The Royals are sending out 6-foot-5, 240 pound Will Smith. Going against one of the most accomplished pitchers in Major League Baseball, Smith is making his debut. In Omaha (Triple-A) this year, Smith is only 1-3 with a 4.01 ERA.

The Yankees know the season is early, but with Boston playing better and Baltimore looking like it might be serious, it's time to start putting some wins in the bank.

TV: YES

Time: 7:05 p.m. ET

For more on the Yankees, please be sure to check out our blog Pinstripe Alley and SB Nation New York for all the latest news and updates.

Yankees 3, Royals 2: New York Moves Back Above .500 With Win

The New York Yankees moved back to one game above .500 with a 3-2 win Tuesday night over the Kansas City Royals in Game 2 of their three-game series at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees are now 22-21 on the year, and five games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East.

Phil Hughes (4-5) pitched six innings and struck out seven while giving up five hits and two earned runs to earn the victory. The Royals scored one run in the third inning, and another in the fourth when Jeff Francoeur took Hughes deep to left for his third home run of the season. The solo shot gave the Royals a 2-0 lead before the Yankees rallied. Hughes pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning.

Robinson Cano put the the Yankees on the board with fourth inning solo home run of his own. The shot was his fourth on the year. Derek Jeter finally ended the Yankees' woes with runners in scoring position in the fifth inning with an RBI single to score Mark Teixeira. Curtis Granderson followed Jeter with a ground out to score Russell Martin and give the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Royals starter Luke Hochevar (3-5) took the loss. He struck out eight, and gave up six hits and two earned runs in his 6 2/3 innings of work.

Rafael Soriano earned his third save of the season, giving up just one hit in the ninth inning. The Yankees went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position after going 0-for-13 on Monday night.

Game 3 of the series is set for 7:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium. Andy Pettitte (1-1, 2.51 ERA) will take on Luis Mendoza (2-2, 5.03) at the mound.

-- For more on the Yankees, see Pinstripe Alley.

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Yankees (21-21) Vs. Royals (17-24) Preview: New York Looks To Avoid Dropping Below .500

A night after being embarrassed at their home ballpark, the New York Yankees will try and stop its biggest losing skid of the season Tuesday, when they host the Kansas Royals in Game 2 of a three-game series at Yankees Stadium (7:05 p.m. ET on MY 9 or MLB Network).

On Monday, the Yankees dropped their third straight contest in a 6-0 rout, which dropped their record in the month of May to 8-12. New York (21-21) is on the verge of dropping blew .500 and are currently tied for last place in the American League East Division standings with the Boston Red Sox.

On Tuesday, starting pitcher Phil Hughes (3-5, 5.23 ERA) will try and get the Bronx Bombers back on track as he opposes Luke Hochevar (3-4, 7.04 ERA).

-- For more on the Yankees, see Pinstripe Alley.

Royals 6, Yankees 0: New York Loses Third Straight

The New York Yankees were shut out by the Kansas City Royals, 6-0, on Monday night in the opening game of their three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Hiroki Kuroda (3-6) was tagged with the loss after giving up three earned runs and seven hits with four strikeouts and three walks.

Mike Moustakas put the Royals on the board with a two-run home run with two outs in the first inning. Eric Hosmer batted in Kuroda's third earned run on a double to score Jarrod dyson in the third. Freddy Garcia gave up a two-run home run on the first batter he faced after relieving Clay Rapada in the seventh inning. Jeff Francoeur went deep to left center, bringing Billy Butler around home. Ian Falu scored in the eighth on a wild pitch by Garcia.

Felipe Paulino (2-1) pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings for the Royal, giving up six hits and striking out eight. Alex Rodriguez and Russell Martin both went 2-for-4 at the plated with a double. The Yankees went hitless in 13 at-bats Monday with runners in scoring position. The Yankees (21-21) are now tied for the last in the American League East with the Boston Red Sox.

The series continues Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium (7:05 p.m. ET) with Phil Hughes (3-5, 5.23 ERA) pitching for the Yankees and Luke Hochevar (3-4, 7.02) pitching for Kansas City.

-- For more on the Yankees, see Pinstripe Alley.

Yankees (21-20) Vs. Royals (16-24) Preview: Game Time, TV Schedule, Probable Pitchers