Headley homer highlights Yanks win over Royals
NEW YORK -- Chase Headley homered for the first time in eight months as the New York Yankees defeated the Kansas City Royals, 7-3, on Thursday.
Headley had not homered since his first at-bat against Toronto right-hander Marco Estrada on Sept. 12 when he stepped in with two outs and Carlos Beltran on first in the second inning. He ended a drought of 170 at-bats when he sent a 3-1 fastball into the left field seats for a two-run home run.
The home run also was Headley's first extra base hit since an eighth-inning double off Chicago White Sox reliever Daniel Webb on Sept. 27. It was Headley's 17th hit of the season and ended a stretch of 111 at-bats without an extra base hit.
Headley's home run was the second of three hit by the Yankees (14-19) in their fifth win in seven games. Starlin Castro hit a solo home run and Didi Gregorius added a three-run homer off Ian Kennedy (4-3).
New York added two runs in the seventh as Castro had a run-scoring single and Brian McCann drew a bases-loaded walk.
Alex Gordon homered and had an RBI single for the Royals (16-18), who have 12 of their last 16. Christian Colon added an RBI single for Kansas City.
New York's Nathan Eovaldi (3-2) allowed three runs and eight hits in eight innings. After Kirby Yates pitched the sixth, the Yankees three best relievers finished up.
Dellin Betances pitched a hitless seventh, Andrew Miller protected the four-run lead by doing the same in the eighth and Chasen Shreve finished up.
Kennedy lasted 6 1/3 innings and allowed seven runs and five hits. The former Yankee first-round pick tied a career-high by allowing three home runs.
After Eovaldi got Kendrys Morales to bounce into an inning-ending double play in the first inning, the Yankees took a 1-0 lead with one out in the bottom of the first when Castro hit a 1-1 pitch into the right field seats for his fourth home run of the year.
The Yankees extended the lead to 3-0 with two outs in the second when Headley drove a 3-1 fastball into the left field seats for his first home run of the season.
Kansas City scored twice in the fourth.
With one out, Gordon drove a full-count fastball into the right-center field bleachers for his fourth home run of the season. Three batters later, Colon lined an RBI single.
New York extended the lead with two outs in the bottom of the fourth. After Aaron Hicks beat out a double play grounder, Gregorius drove an 0-1 breaking ball into the right field seats.
The Royals made it 5-3 in the fifth on Gordon's two-out single and nearly went ahead, but right fielder Carlos Beltran caught Salvador Perez's fly ball in front of the wall.
NOTES: New York DH Alex Rodriguez (strained right hamstring) did some light running in the outfield and went halfway around the infield twice. He described the running by saying "So far, so good." ... Yankees CF Jacoby Ellsbury (right hip) missed his sixth straight game. He also did some light running at the same time as Rodriguez. ... The Royals placed RHP Chris Young (right forearm) and LHP Kris Medlen (rotator cuff) on the 15-day disabled list. Manager Ned Yost said he does not expect either player to miss more than the 15 days. Kansas City replaced them by purchasing the contract of RHP Peter Moylan from Triple-A Omaha and recalling LHP Scott Alexander from there. ... Yost said LHP Danny Duffy will make Medlen's start Sunday against Atlanta and be restricted to about 50 pitches.