NEW YORK (AP) — Mark Teixeira failed to get in on the fun on Monday. He made up for it a night later.

Teixeira homered and drove in four runs, Adam Warren pitched two-hit ball into the seventh inning and the New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 5-1 Tuesday to send the AL champions to their first three-game skid this season.

Teixeira was the only Yankees’ starter without a hit during their 14-1 rout of Kansas City on Monday, which stopped a six-game losing streak. He had two important extra-base hits as New York won consecutive games for the first time since May 10-11.

“You want to back up a win like yesterday with another good performance,” Teixeira said. “Fourteen runs is nice, but if you lose the next night, you’re kind of back to where you started. Getting two in a row was big for us.”

Warren (3-3) was perfect until Mike Moustakas beat out a hit to second baseman Stephen Drew on the outfield grass in right-center with one out in the fourth. The only other hit he allowed was Paulo Orlando’s first major league homer in the sixth.

Lifted after 6 1/3 innings, Warren struck out five without walking a batter in the best of his 12 big league starts. He’s pitched at least 6 1/3 innings in each of his last three starts.

“I feel like I’m getting more comfortable in this role,” Warren said. “I feel like I’m starting to get on a roll a bit, and I’m starting to get more confidence out there and I feel like I can get deeper in games.”

Teixeira connected off Jason Vargas (3-2) for a two-run shot in the first — giving the Yankees 10 first-inning runs against Kansas City in the series — and doubled in two more in the fifth against Joe Blanton. The switch-hitter has more homers (14) than singles this year (13).

Teixeira advanced to third on the double when center fielder Lorenzo Cain bobbled the ball for an error and scored on Chase Headley’s sacrifice fly, caught by Gold Glover Alex Gordon with a tumbling catch on the sinking liner.

Cain made a leaping catch in front of the wall for the third out of the inning, and Teixeira stood in the dugout with his hand on his head and mouth agape, stunned.

Vargas was activated off the disabled list to make the start, taking the spot of Danny Duffy, who went on the DL Monday with biceps tendinitis. Vargas was on a 75-pitch limit and manager Ned Yost stuck to it, pulling the left-hander after four innings, one pitch over the set ceiling. He struck out six and gave up four hits in his first outing since May 5.

I thought coming back off the DL, he was pretty darn sharp,” Yost said. “Just one pitch, he tried to go down and away and it kind of ran back middle-middle to Teixeira. But six punch-outs in four innings, he threw the ball really well.”

Vargas has not beaten the Yankees in eight starts and nine appearances, dropping to 0-5.

Yankees reliever Dellin Betances extended his streak of not allowing a hit to 31 batters by striking out the side in the eighth. He’s walked two and yielded a sacrifice fly in the run.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: Ace Masahiro Tanaka (wrist tendinitis and forearm strain) is set for his second rehab start for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday. Manager Joe Girardi says, “You want to hear his stuff was sharp and he feels comfortable the next day.”

UP NEXT

Royals: Princeton graduate Chris Young, who turned 36 Monday, will take his 0.78 ERA, lowest among all pitchers with at least 30 innings, into his second start against the Yankees and Michael Pineda in less than two weeks. Young allowed a run and four hits in 5 2/3 innings against New York.

Yankees: Pineda has been hit hard in his two starts since striking out 16 against Baltimore on May 10. He allowed five runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings against the Royals in Kansas City.

WALKING FOR A CAUSE

Former naval officer and retired school teacher Richard Albero completed an approximately 1,150-mile walk in honor of his nephew Gary Albero, who died during the attacks of 9/11, and the Wounded Warrior Project, with a stomp on home plate before the game. Albero began his journey on March 2 at the Yankees’ spring training home in Tampa, Florida. He raised about $27,000 along the way and the Yankees chipped in another $25,000 Tuesday.

BALL TRICK

After Orlando homered a fan threw a ball back onto the field, but it was a batting practice ball. Still, Orlando was able to trade a batting glove, a bat and some signed balls for the real one once the game was over.

PLATE DISCIPLINE

Betances is just the second pitcher to strike out the side in order against Kansas City this season. Jered Weaver did it April 11.

— Associated Press —

NEW YORK (AP) — Brett Gardner got a little silly after hitting the Yankees’ third homer of the first inning, enthusiastically high-fiving his teammates as if he were trying to slap away the memory of a lost weekend of baseball.

A few big hits did the job just fine.

Gardner and Brian McCann each hit a three-run homer and Chase Headley also connected during an eight-run first, and New York romped past the AL Central-leading Kansas City Royals 14-1 Monday to end a six-game skid.

Stephen Drew added another three-run shot off Jeremy Guthrie (4-3) before New York made an out in the second.

“Overall, definitely a much-needed good feeling,” Gardner said.

Slade Heathcott hit his first major league homer in the seventh as the Yankees bounced back from a sweep by Texas. They won for just the second time in 12 games, beating the team that began the day with the best record in the majors.

“Is this real?” Heathcott said of what he was thinking as his ball headed toward the bleachers in right-center.

Guthrie entered 5-10 with a 4.92 ERA against the Yankees, mostly with Baltimore. And this time he was awful. He faced 16 batters and 13 reached, with 11 scoring.

Guthrie, who started Game 7 of the World Series last year, became only the eighth pitcher to give up four homers before getting four outs, according to research going back to 1914 by STATS.

The right-hander also became the third starter to give up at least 11 runs while recording three outs or less, STATS said.

“He didn’t have it,” manager Ned Yost said. “They were just on everything he threw.”

Nathan Eovaldi (4-1) pitched with runners on in all but two of his seven-plus innings. Working on five days’ rest, he allowed eight hits and a run.

The Yankees were outscored 30-15 in a demoralizing three-game series against Texas. Their loss Sunday night dropped them to .500 for the first time since they were 7-7.

They started afresh in a flash.

Gardner led off with a double on Guthrie’s second pitch. Headley sent the next offering deep into the right-field bleachers.

Alex Rodriguez singled and Mark Teixeira walked before McCann hit a liner to right that Paulo Orlando nearly caught with an impressive leap at the wall.

After two outs, Didi Gregorius was hit by a pitch and Heathcott singled. Gardner then connected for an 8-0 lead.

“It was nice because we’ve been through some tough losses, we’ve been through some ugly losses, and to be able to get that type of lead was really nice,” manager Joe Girardi said.

Drew hit his fifth homer in the second. Guthrie just held the new ball out as Yost walked to the mound to lift him.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 17, because of left biceps tendinitis. He will be eligible for reinstatement on June 1. … OF Alex Rios (broken hand) is set to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha.

Yankees: OF Carlos Beltran was out of the starting lineup for the second straight day because of flu-like symptoms.

UP NEXT

Royals: LHP Jason Vargas (strained flexor muscle) will come off the DL and slide into Duffy’s slot for his first action since May 5. Vargas is 0-4 with a 6.75 ERA in eight games, seven starts, against New York. Vargas will be on a 75-pitch limit.

Yankees: Adam Warren is set to make his 12th career start and first against the Royals. His previous two starts were the longest of his career, seven and 6 1/3 innings. He lost both.

RARE ROOKIES

Jacob Lindgren made his big league debut for New York, coming in to relieve Eovaldi in the eighth. The left-hander is just the third player from last year’s draft to reach the majors.

Kansas City’s Brandon Finnegan is one of the three. He pitched a career-high three scoreless innings in relief of Guthrie after being recalled from Triple-A on Monday — he likely will be sent back to Omaha on Tuesday. White Sox lefty Carlos Rodon is the third player.

When Lindgren entered the game, he joined Hall of Fame football player Deion Sanders the only two Yankees to make their debuts within a year of being drafted.

“Maybe I should try playing football,” he said.

A LITTLE HELP

Guthrie popped into the dugout about 90 minutes before game time, jersey untucked, looking for New York’s lineup — with Beltran’s health a question, Girardi didn’t provide one until about two hours before the start — but none of his Royals coaches knew it yet. A Yankees beat writer was more than willing to help the starter out, reading it off his notebook.

— Associated Press —