Kuzul

The deciding factor in a game between the mighty New York Yankees and the lowly Kansas City Royals was a solo home run that came in the fifth inning.

The game featured two rain delays: one 31-minute delay and one two-hour-and-10 minute stoppage.  There was lightning in the sky, but none coming off the Yankee bats as they fell victim to the Kansas City Royals 4-3.

Yankees starting pitcher Dustin Moseley struggled in his fourth start, especially with his control, particularly in the second inning of the game when the Royals got to him for three runs.  Moseley only lasted 4.1 innings, allowing eight hits and four runs.

Kyle Davies held the Yankees scoreless until the third inning, giving up three runs with RBI from Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, and Lance Berkman.

But, the final blow came in the fifth inning, when Billy Butler hit a solo home run off of the right field foul pole, which was followed by the second rain delay.

Making it an official game, the Yankees were eager to get back on the field to get the win, but the bats did not help their case.

After four shutout innings from Chad Gaudin, Kerry Wood, Boone Logan, and Joba Chamberlain, the Yankees went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position after the longer rain delay.  They were 3-15 with runners in scoring position throughout the entire night.

The Yankees had a threat in the ninth, with men on base the whole inning, including first and third with Robinson Cano at the plate.

Cano ended up grounding to second to end the five-hour-and-36-minute marathon that was Game No. 115 of 162.

Luckily, they did not lose any ground to the Tampa Bay Rays, who fell to the Orioles 5-0.  By the way, Baltimore is 9-2 under former Yankee manager Buck Showalter.

The Red Sox also did not gain any ground on the Yankees, as they suffered their second consecutive walk-off loss.  This time it was to the Texas Rangers, courtesy of Nelson Cruz.

The Yankees hope to get back to their winning ways later today, as Phil Hughes (13-5, 3.92 ERA) and Sean O’Sullivan (0-3, 6.75 ERA) face off at 7:10 in game three of four in Kansas City.

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