Thu Apr 10 23:54:27 2008

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Pettitte strong as Yankees snap Royals' win streak

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Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Melky Cabrera all homered, and Andy Pettitte pitched into the seventh inning as the New York Yankees salvaged the finale of a three-game series by besting Kansas City, 6-1.

Pettitte (1-1) allowed just one run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings for the Yankees, who are just 5-5 on the young season. The left-hander is now a gaudy 12-3 against the Royals in his career.

Joba Chamberlain came on to throw 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, before Mariano Rivera closed things out in the ninth.

Jose Guillen drove in the lone run for Kansas City, which lost for the first time in four games. John Bale (0-2) surrendered four runs on eight hits in six innings en route to the loss.

Down 1-0, the Yankees deadlocked things in the third when Cabrera slammed a two-out solo homer, his second of the season.

New York took its first lead in the fourth. Posada opened the frame with a single and went to third on Hideki Matsui's base hit before scoring when Jose Molina grounded into a double play.

The Yankees added a pair of runs in the fifth. Morgan Ensberg led off with a single and moved to second on Alberto Gonzalez's sacrifice bunt. Johnny Damon followed with an infield single that moved Ensberg to third and Cabrera came through with a run-scoring single to right. Rodriguez finished the frame with an RBI grounder to third.

Rodriguez and Posada gave the Yankees two more insurance runs in the ninth with back-to-back, two-out home runs off Hideo Nomo, who was making his first major league appearance since 2005.

The Royals jumped on top in the first after Mark Teahen slapped a two-out single up the middle and Guillen followed by lacing an RBI double to left- center.

Game Notes

The game was delayed for 28 minutes by rain before the bottom of the third inning started...Rodriguez's homer was his 520th of his spectacular career. He is just one home run behind Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Willie McCovey for 15th on the all-time list. The long ball was also Rodriguez's 175th as a Yankee and tied him with Bobby Murcer for 19th on the team's all-time list...Pettitte's win was his 165th with New York and he passed Mel Stottlemyre and moved into sixth place on the all-time Yankees list...The Yankees again played without shortstop Derek Jeter, who remains out with a strained quadriceps.