Robinson Cano hit a three-run homer into the Kauffman Stadium fountains, Russell Martin and Derek Jeter each drove in a pair and the New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 9-7 on Tuesday night to give Ivan Nova his eighth consecutive victory.

Nova (12-4) struggled almost as much as Royals starter Danny Duffy (3-7), allowing five runs and seven hits through three innings. But he settled down to retire the side in order the next two frames, and survived long enough to move past Alfredo Aceves for the longest winning streak by a Yankees rookie since 1980.

The right-hander also tied Orlando Hernandez and Andy Pettitte for the most wins by a Yankees rookie in the past three decades. Nova hasn’t lost since a 3-2 defeat to the Los Angeles Angels on June 3.

Boone Logan, Rafael Soriano and David Robertson shepherded the game to Mariano Rivera, who pitched another perfect ninth for his 32nd save. It was also his 27th in a row against Kansas City dating to May 2, 1999.

Melky Cabrera hit a solo homer against his former team, and Jeff Francoeur drove in a pair of runs as the Royals took a 5-3 lead through three innings. But the Yankees blew the game open with a five-run fourth, which included a stretch of five consecutive hits to start the inning. Cano delivered the biggest blow, a rocket shot into the fountains in right field to finish off a marathon 12-pitch at-bat and knock Duffy from the game.

The 22-year-old Royals left-hander allowed eight runs and eight hits, walked two and hit two after mowing through the first three batters he faced in just 11 pitches. Duffy ended up throwing 90 before he was done.

Nova was just as shaky early on.

Billy Butler hit a two-out single in the first, Eric Hosmer followed with an RBI double and Francoeur gave the Royals a 2-0 lead with his base hit. He was thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning.

New York pulled ahead in the third when Duffy’s command failed him.

He plunked Curtis Granderson with one out, walked Mark Teixeira, allowed an RBI single to Cano and walked Nick Swisher to load the bases. Royals manager Ned Yost came out to the mound, but the brief visit didn’t seem to do much good. Martin’s two-run double moments later gave New York the lead.

Kansas City answered the three-spot with three runs of its own in the bottom of the inning. Alcides Escobar started the rally with a triple to left, and Alex Gordon’s chopper to third base brought him home. Cabrera followed with his 16th homer, and Butler singled and Francoeur doubled to give the Royals a 5-3 lead.

Then came the Yankees’ eventful fourth inning, which included: a leadoff bunt single by Brett Gardner; an RBI double by Jeter; back-to-back singles by Granderson and Teixeira; Yost getting tossed for arguing balls and strikes, his third ejection of the year; and Cano’s 21st homer of the season, estimated at 421 feet.

The Royals finally knocked Nova out of the game when Salvador Perez’s two-run double in the sixth pulled them within 8-7, but New York added to its cushion with its final run in the seventh.

Nova was ultimately charged with seven runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings. It was his worst start since he gave up eight runs on 10 hits in three innings against the Royals on May 12 at Yankee Stadium.

This time, though, he at least earned the win.

— Asscoiated Press —

The Kansas City Royals signed their first-round draft pick Bubba Starling late Monday night, just moments before the Major League Baseball signing deadline.

Starling, the No. 5 overall pick and a multisport athlete at Gardner-Edgerton, signed a minor league contract with a signing bonus reportedly worth $7.5 million. His agent, Scott Boras, reportedly was seeking a signing bonus in the area of $10 million.

The signing bonus is payable during three years because Starling is a two-sport athlete. There was some question whether he would sign with the Royals before the deadline or play quarterback for Nebraska, where he had received a scholarship offer.

“We are ecstatic and relieved to have this process behind us and have Bubba in the fold,” said Royals general manager Dayton Moore. “I am extremely proud of J.J. Picollo, Lonnie Goldberg and the entire staff for the work they’ve done during these negotiations, not just in the Bubba Starling case, but all of the athletes we were able to sign on this very busy day.

“I’m also thrilled that we were able to come to an agreement with a fine young man from this area who put being a Royal among his priorities in this process. It’s now time to get his professional playing career underway.”

The Royals also announced late Monday the signing of third-round pick, right-handed pitcher Bryan Brickhouse. With Brickhouse’s signing, the Royals managed to sign each of their first five selections.

— Associated Press —

A.J. Burnett hadn’t won a game in weeks. He hadn’t felt good about a start in months. And he had never experienced victory as a member of the New York Yankees when the calendar flipped to August.

The Kansas City Royals were the perfect opponent to change all that.

Burnett managed to scatter 10 singles over a shaky 5 2/3 innings Monday night, and Derek Jeter drove in three runs to help the Yankees beat Kansas City 7-4 and finally give the right-hander something to feel good about.

“It makes you feel a part of it,” Burnett said after his first victory since June 29, a stretch of seven mostly miserable starts. “There are a lot of things to keep you not too content, but yeah, it feels good.”

Burnett (9-9) had been winless in 13 starts in August since signing a five-year, $82.5 million deal with New York, going 0-8 with a 7.18 ERA. His late season struggles, combined with his poor recent performances, are a big reason that manager Joe Girardi has considered dropping him from the starting rotation.

But the right-hander had allowed only four runs over 26 1/3 innings against the Royals since joining the Yankees, so it figured that Burnett would have a good chance to get back on the right side of the ledger.

“It probably feels really good,” Girardi said. “He’s thrown some games I thought we could have got him wins and we didn’t, and that’s frustrating because I think you always ask yourself as a player, ‘Could I have done a little more and maybe kept them off the scoreboard?'”

Brett Gardner added a pair of RBIs, and Mark Teixeira and pinch-hitter Andruw Jones also drove in runs for the Yankees (73-46), who moved back into a tie with idle Boston for the AL East lead.

Mariano Rivera wrapped up the victory, pitching a perfect ninth for his 31st save.

Melky Cabrera and Billy Butler each drove in a pair of runs for the Royals, who lost for the eighth time in nine games. Felipe Paulino (1-5) didn’t provide much help from the mound, allowing five runs on five walks and eight hits in just 5 1/3 innings, the erratic performance running his winless streak to six consecutive games.

“Their hitters over there make a lot of money,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “The reason they make a lot of money is they don’t miss mistakes. Paulino, every ball he got hurt on was pitches up.”

Things began ominously for Paulino, who was pulled early from his last start against Tampa Bay when his back stiffened up. He plunked Gardner leading off the game and walked Teixeira before he escaped the inning.

Paulino wasn’t as fortunate in the second, when Gardner and Jeter delivered two-out RBI singles.

The Royals squandered two decent scoring chances early, stringing together three singles in the second without a run, then putting runners on first and second with one out before a double play ended the fourth.

Kansas City finally broke through in the fifth.

Mike Moustakas snapped a 0-for-13 skid with a one-out single, and Alcides Escobar and Alex Gordon followed with consecutive singles to load the bases. Cabrera walked on a full count to bring in the first run, and Butler lined a two-run single down the right-field line to give Kansas City the lead.

Robinson Cano ended the inning when the All-Star second baseman ranged to his left to gobble up Eric Hosmer’s ground ball, spun toward second base and threw to Jeter to begin a 5-4-3 double play.

New York promptly answered the Royals’ three-run inning with three of their own.

Jorge Posada, back in the lineup after a six-RBI game Saturday at Tampa Bay, singled with one out to start the sixth. Russell Martin’s single put runners on the corners, and Gardner’s RBI single tied the game.

“It seems like every time we got something going,” Moustakas said, “they answered right back.”

Jeter came to the plate to a round of applause from a crowd split between Royals and Yankees fans, and he roped a two-run triple into the gap in right. Jeter slid headfirst into third base in dramatic fashion, even though strong-armed right fielder Jeff Francoeur didn’t have much chance of throwing him out.

The Yankees added an insurance run on Jones’ RBI single in the seventh. Kansas City matched it in the bottom half on Cabrera’s RBI double, but Teixeira restored the three-run cushion with an RBI in the eighth.

“They put up some runs. We put up a run. They put some more runs up. It’s just a good battle,” Moustakas said. “I felt we were in that ball game the entire way. Again, things didn’t fall our way.”

— Associated Press —

John Danks and the Chicago White Sox are focused on catching Detroit and Cleveland in the AL Central.

Moving above .500 would be a nice start.

Danks pitched six strong innings, Brent Lillibridge hit a three-run homer and the White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 6-2 on Sunday.

Paul Konerko added three hits for the White Sox (60-60), who have won eight of 10 to reach .500. They haven’t had a winning record since they were 7-6 on April 15.

Alexei Ramirez had two hits and scored twice as Chicago improved its abysmal home record to 26-33 and moved within four games of AL Central-leading Detroit, which lost 8-5 at Baltimore. The White Sox also won consecutive games in a single series at U.S. Cellular Field for the first time since June 21 and 22 against the Cubs.

“I think .500 is a little over blown,” Danks said. “Obviously, we didn’t expect to be .500 at this point coming into the year. We’re looking at more Cleveland and Detroit than being .500. That’s just a reality. We have to win ballgames.

“We have to finish ahead of Cleveland and Detroit. If that puts us above .500 so be it. Our focus is more on being ahead of them and being in first than being above .500.”

Danks (5-9) allowed two runs and four hits, struck out six and walked four, improving to 5-1 with a 2.29 ERA in his last nine starts. The left-hander lost his first eight decisions of the season.

“He’s got his cutter. It’s 90 miles an hour and he’s got a plus-changeup, plus-fastball and plus-cutter,” Royals designated hitter Billy Butler said. “When you’ve got that kind of stuff and it’s working, you’re going to have a tough day. We battled and got two off him, but it felt like a lot when we got two off a guy like that.”

Jeff Francis (4-13) lasted just 3 2/3 innings for Kansas City, which has lost six of seven. Top prospect Mike Moustakas went 0 for 3 and is 0 for 34 this season against Chicago.

The White Sox jumped on Francis in the first inning. Ramirez was hit by a pitch with one out and moved to third on Konerko’s single. Carlos Quentin then hit an RBI single and Lillibridge drove a 1-2 fastball over the wall in left for his 10th homer.

“He left a fastball right over the plate and I was able to get my hands through it and get it over the fence,” Lillibridge said. “It was a huge one. I hit the ball hard a lot yesterday but I couldn’t find the RBIs, it was frustrating, but keep on swinging it and it will eventually pan out. It was big one early, it put us up 4-0 and I knew that would be enough for John.”

Francis has allowed 26 runs in the first inning over his 25 starts this season.

“As long as I’ve been pitching, that’s been somewhat of an issue,” Francis said. “You try everything you can. I think if I found a reason, I probably wouldn’t be doing it.”

Danks was working on a no-hitter before Butler reached on a bad-hop single with two out in the sixth. Butler’s roller down the first-base line hopped up and past Lillibridge. Official scorer Bob Rosenberg originally ruled the play an error, but the call was quickly changed to a hit.

“There is a pretty good divot right there. There was nothing he can do about it,” Danks said. “They switched it back to a hit. I heard the boos. I don’t blame Lilli at all. That’s a tough play, there was nothing you can do about it. There was two outs, I should’ve pitched over it.”

Jeff Francoeur followed with a double down the left-field line and Mitch Maier had a two-run single to cut the White Sox lead to 6-2.

The White Sox open an important three-game series against second-place Cleveland on Tuesday. They are 6-1 against the Tribe this year.

— Associated Press —