Royals sock it to Yanks with 4 late home runs

NEW YORK -- A pair of big swings by Lorenzo Cain and rookie Jorge Bonifacio helped break up what had been a taut pitching duel for the first six innings, with the Royals hitting four homers to power past the Yankees in a 6-2 victory on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.
Rookie Jordan Montgomery carried a one-hit shutout into the seventh before Cain cleared the wall, and Bonifacio gave Kansas City its first lead with a two-run shot to right-center off Adam Warren. Whit Merrifield and Mike Moustakas added long balls in the eighth to extend the Royals' lead.

The late support boosted Danny Duffy to his fourth victory, as the left-hander defeated the Yankees for the second time in less than a week. Aaron Hicks and Chris Carter hit solo homers off Duffy, who scattered six hits over seven innings. Duffy struck out seven while walking three.

"I felt like my heater was better today than it was all season," Duffy said. "I missed some spots. The Hicks home run was right where I wanted it to be. He just went out and got it."
Duffy's fastball indeed averaged 94.4 mph per Statcast™ -- his previous high average was 93.4 this season.
Montgomery settled for a no-decision in his eighth big league start, permitting a run on two hits over 6 2/3 innings. He walked none and struck out six, crediting improved fastball command for his strong effort.
"It's a quality outing. That's all I can do," Montgomery said. "We'll bounce back tomorrow and try to win the series."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
End of the line: Duffy blanked the Yanks over seven innings last week in Kansas City and continued that run into Tuesday's outing, facing the minimum over the first three frames. Hicks finally broke through with his homer to right field, snapping a string of 10 1/3 scoreless innings hurled by Duffy against New York this year. It was the first home run off Duffy in 51 2/3 innings, which had been the longest active streak in the Major Leagues.

"That's a tough lineup," Duffy said. "I just found something a couple bullpens ago with my slider and it's been working … but tonight I just think I had good life on the fastball."
More fun for Bonifacio: Bonifacio, who homered in his first at-bat at the Stadium on Monday, delivered a two-run shot to right field off Warren during the three-run rally in the seventh. Bonifacio's home run, his sixth, zipped over the fence at 104 mph, according to Statcast™, and traveled a projected 370 feet. Earlier, Bonifacio hit a 399-foot fly to left-center that was caught.

"I felt like I just got hurt on one pitch," Warren said. "I thought the pitch to [Salvador Perez] was a decent pitch and he found a hole. Then just one pitch got me, but that's the game. That's what it is in those situations. I've just got to be a little better."
"I was looking fastball all the way," Bonifacio said. "I knew [it was gone]."
IN CONCLUSION
Yankees manager Joe Girardi was displeased by a game-ending double play in which Merrifield attempted to tag Carter on a ground ball to second base but missed. Carter was ruled to have been out of the baseline, and the play was not reviewable.

"[Carter's] in the dirt. It's just a poor call," Girardi said. "It's frustrating. It's going to be two outs in that situation, but you still have a chance."
WHAT'S NEXT
Royals: Right-hander Jason Hammel (1-5, 6.20 ERA) will try to get back on track as he takes the mound on Wednesday at 6:05 p.m. CT. Hammel last pitched on May 16 -- also against the Yankees -- when he gave up five hits and nine runs in six innings.
Yankees: Right-hander Luis Severino (2-2, 3.64 ERA) will make his ninth start of the season on Wednesday as the Yanks host the Royals at 7:05 p.m. ET. Severino has completed just 7 1/3 innings over his last two starts after logging at least seven innings in four of his five previous outings.
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