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Royals seek to extend win streak against Yankees

Sep 6, 2014 - 12:42 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Kansas City Royals try to lock up a fifth straight victory on Saturday afternoon as they resume a three-game series with the New York Yankees.

The Royals won a tight opener on Friday night, scoring in the third inning and then holding on for a 1-0 triumph. Starter James Shields did his part by pitching into the ninth inning and Wade Davis recorded the final two outs to secure the save.

Shields gave up three hits, zero walks and struck out six as he outdueled Yankees starter Michael Pineda. He was lifted after giving up a single to Derek Jeter with one out in the ninth.

"Any time you face this team it's going to be a grind," Shields said. "To be able to pitch like that and save our bullpen for our road trip was nice."

Nori Aoki drove in the only run with a single in the third inning and Salvador Perez had two hits for the Royals, who own a two-game lead on the second-place Detroit Tigers in the American League Central.

Both teams had three hits as the Yankees lost for the fourth time in six contests and are 4 1/2 games back of the second wild card spot in the AL.

Pineda pitched seven strong innings, retiring the last 11 batters he faced. He gave up three hits, one run and no walks and struck out four. It was the second game in a row the Yankees gave him zero runs of support.

"(Shields) just didn't make mistakes. There were no balls over the middle of the plate," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. "He was really good (and Pineda) was really good, too."

Danny Duffy will try to end some recent bad luck when he starts today for the Royals.

Duffy gave up one run over 6 2/3 innings versus Minnesota on Aug. 26, but did not factor into a 2-1 win. He then faced Cleveland on Sunday and yielded a pair of runs -- one earned -- over 6 2/3 frames in a game that was suspended in the bottom of the 10th inning.

The 25-year-old lefty is just 8-11 on the season despite a 2.42 earned run average, but has struggled in three lifetime meetings with New York. In that time, he is 1-1 with an 8.36 ERA.

Brandon McCarthy will take the hill today for the Yankees trying to avoid a third straight losing start.

The right-hander provided a big boost to the Yankees rotation when he was acquired from Arizona, going 5-2 with a 1.90 ERA through his first eight starts with the club.

However, McCarthy has since struggled in back-to-back losses, allowing five runs over 6 1/3 innings versus Detroit on Aug. 26 and then four runs through six frames of work at Toronto on Sunday. McCarthy was taken deep three times by the Blue Jays, with Melky Cabrera and Jose Bautista going back-to-back off him in the sixth inning before Edwin Encarnacion hit a game-tying shot in the seventh.

"Just two really good hitters," McCarthy said of Cabrera and Bautista. "When they get into it, you're in trouble. The one to Encarnacion, that was a terrible pitch."

McCarthy, whose ERA with the Yankees is now 2.80, is 2-2 with a 4.28 ERA in his career versus the Royals in 13 games with five starts.

These two clubs split four previous meetings this season in Kansas City.