By HOWIE RUMBERG AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) _ Brett Gardner, Brian McCann and Chase Headley homered during an eight-run first inning and the New York Yankees quickly erased the memory of a lost weekend, romping past the AL Central-leading Kansas City Royals 14-1 Monday to end a six-game skid.
Stephen Drew added another three-run homer off a favorite foil of the Yankees, Jeremy Guthrie (4-3), before New York made an out in the second.
Slade Heathcott hit his first major league homer in the seventh as the Yankees bounced back from a sweep by Texas. They won for just the second time in 12 games, beating the team that began the day with the best record in the majors.
Guthrie entered 5-10 with a 4.92 ERA against the Yankees, mostly with Baltimore. And this time he was awful. He faced 16 batters and 13 reached with 11 scoring.
Guthrie, who started Game 7 of the World Series last year, became only the eighth pitcher to give up four homers before getting four outs, according to research to 1914 by STATS.
The right-hander also became the third starter to give up at least 11 runs while getting three outs or less, STATS said. Houston’s Jason Jennings got two outs when he yielded 11 runs in 2007 against the Padres and the Royals’ Luke Hudson was tagged for 11 against the Indians in 2006 while getting one out.
Nathan Eovaldi (4-1) pitched with runners on in all but two of his seven-plus innings. Working on five days’ rest, he allowed eight hits and a run.
The Yankees were outscored 30-15 in being swept by the Rangers in a demoralizing three-game series. Their loss Sunday night dropped them to .500 for the first time since they were 7-7.
They started afresh in a flash.
Gardner led off on with a double on Guthrie’s second pitch. Headley sent Guthrie’s next offering deep into the right field bleachers.
Alex Rodriguez singled and Mark Teixeira walked before McCann hit a liner to right that Paulo Orlando nearly caught with an impressive leap at the wall. Instead, the drive made it to the first row for a three-run homer.
After two outs, Didi Gregorius was hit by a pitch and Heathcott singled. Gardner then hit a three-run drive for the 8-0 lead.
Drew homered in the second. Guthrie just held the new ball out as manager Ned Yost walked to the mound to lift him.
Jacob Lindgren made his big league debut for New York, coming in to relieve Eovaldi in the eighth. The left-hander is just the third player from last year’s draft to reach the major leagues.
Kansas City’s Brandon Finnegan was one of the three. He pitched three scoreless innings in relief of Guthrie after being recalled from Triple-A on Monday. The White Sox’s Carlos Rondon is the third player.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Royals: LHP Danny Duffy was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 17, because of left biceps tendinitis. He will be eligible for reinstatement on June 1. … OF Alex Rios (broken hand) is set to begin a rehab assignment with Omaha.
Yankees: OF Carlos Beltran was out of the starting lineup for the second straight day because of flu-like symptoms.
UP NEXT
Royals: LHP Jason Vargas (strained flexor muscle) will come off the DL and slide into Duffy’s slot for his first action since May 5. Vargas is 0-4 with a 6.75 ERA in eight games, seven starts, against New York. Vargas will be on a 75-pitch limit.
Yankees: Adam Warren is set to make his 12th career start and first against the Royals. His previous two starts were the longest of his career, seven and 6 1-3 innings. He lost both.
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