Royals will try to get better end of another Vargas-Pineda matchup
NEW YORK -- Left-hander Jason Vargas has a chance to reclaim the lead in the American League ERA race Monday night -- and to beat the Yankees for the first time -- when the Kansas City Royals face New York at Yankee Stadium.
Vargas saw his ERA rise to from 1.01 to 2.03 when he allowed six runs and seven hits in four innings in an 11-7 loss to the Yankees on Wednesday.
"Vargy, for the most part, is going to give you a good five, six or seven innings, even on nights when he's not sharp," Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. "It was just one of those nights."
Vargas (5-2) saw a 15-inning scoreless streak end, and he fell behind Houston Astros ace Dallas Keuchel (1.84) in the ERA race.
Vargas is 0-6 with a 7.15 ERA in 10 appearances (nine starts) against the Yankees, who are the only AL team he has not defeated. In the Bronx, he is 0-4 with an 8.34 ERA in five starts.
Vargas will face New York right-hander Michael Pineda for the second consecutive outing. Pineda (4-2, 3.42 ERA) allowed four runs (three earned) and six hits in six innings in that New York win. He is 4-1 with a 2.89 ERA in his past seven starts.
Pineda is 4-5 with a 3.95 ERA in nine career starts against the Royals, and he has particularly struggled against Salvador Perez (.391 with two homers), Mike Moustakas (.467 with two homers) and Eric Hosmer (.300).
The Royals (18-25) were 10 games under .500 two weeks ago and got to five games under after sweeping Baltimore from May 12-14. Kansas City dropped two of three to New York last week and two of three in Minnesota over the weekend, capped by a doubleheader split Sunday.
Kansas City took the first game of the twin bill with a 6-4 victory when Brandon Moss homered twice and Perez and Jorge Bonifacio each went deep. The Royals were unable to get the sweep as Ian Kennedy lasted two innings in his return from the disabled list, though it was more because Kansas City might need him Thursday if Nate Karns is unable to pitch due to fluid buildup near his elbow.
Perez hit three homers in the doubleheader and drove in five runs. His next home run as a catcher will be No. 95, breaking the franchise mark set by Mike Macfarlane.
Hosmer also homered in the second game and had multi-hit games in both ends of the doubleheader. In his past 11 road games, Hosmer is batting .408 (18-for-49).
Brett Gardner and Aaron Judge helped the Yankees keep their longest losing streak of the season at three games when they contributed to a 3-2 win at Tampa Bay on Sunday. Gardner hit a two-run home run in the second inning off Chris Archer, and Judge compensated for a rare 0-for-4 (four strikeouts) with a memorable catch in right field.
Thanks to those plays, the Yankees (25-16) improved to 4-7 since they won six straight May 2-8.
Gardner heads into the series hitting .282 with eight home runs, 18 RBIs and 31 runs. All of his home runs have been hit since April 29, when he slugged two against the Orioles.
Starting with that game, Gardner is batting .359 (28-for-78) with 18 RBIs and 21 runs in his past 15 games while his on-base percentage has climbed 60 points to .379.
"It sounds a little crazy, but last year I was really inconsistent and just not at my best," Gardner said. "The first three or four weeks this season I wasn't any good, either. Here recently, I've been swinging the bat better."
Judge is hitting .321, and his 15 homers lead the majors. He also is one of eight players in the American League with at least 30 RBIs, and his batting average has not been under .300 since ending April 28.
Despite the quiet game, Judge is hitting .370 (27-for-73) in his past 20 contests.
"I wasn't doing it on offense," Judge said of his rough day Sunday, "so I had to do it on defense to help the team. That's what I'm getting paid to do out there, make plays."
