Jeter's Tripple carries Yanks to a win

Bryan Hoch- MLB.com

KANSAS CITY -- Derek Jeter stood at the base of the Kauffman Stadium mound on Monday, his fist pressed into A.J. Burnett's shoulder as a few words of encouragement preceded the pitcher's slow walk to the dugout.

Burnett was thankful for that support, but the hurler was even more appreciative of Jeter's two-run triple, which lifted the embattled hurler to his first August victory as a Yankee in a 7-4 victory over the Royals.

The win pulled New York into a first-place tie with the idle Boston Red Sox in the American League East.

"It feels good," said Burnett, who won for the first time since June 29 against the Brewers. "It makes you feel like you're part of it."

Jeter connected with the game's big hit off Kansas City starter Felipe Paulino, following a Brett Gardner run-scoring single to tie the game and put Burnett back into position for the victory.

"We answered right back -- that's important," Jeter said. "It probably relaxed A.J. a little bit. That's big for us."

Burnett was winless in 14 August starts -- dating back to Aug. 29, 2008, with the Blue Jays -- and had gone 0-8 with a 7.18 ERA in 13 starts during the month since joining the Yankees in '09.

"It probably feels really good," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "Everyone wants to feel like they're contributing. He had thrown some games where I thought we could have got him wins and didn't."

Closer Mariano Rivera bounced back from a trio of rocky outings to record his 31st save with a perfect ninth inning, preserving New York's 15th win in 21 games.

"I want to win -- that's the most important thing," Rivera said. "It feels good. ... I don't worry. I have peace of mind. Believe me, I do."

Still, this one hadn't seemed like a sure thing. In what has developed as a nasty habit, Burnett nearly came unraveled in a three-run fifth, coughing up a two-run lead built on second-inning RBI singles from Gardner and Jeter.

Three singles and a bases-loaded walk to Melky Cabrera had Burnett clinging to the ropes, with a 2-2 pitch to Cabrera nearly sailing to the screen, if not for a terrific stab by catcher Russell Martin.

"It's a good thing Russ is an acrobat back there," Burnett said. "Not only does he block balls, but he's always on his toes."

Billy Butler gave the Royals a 3-2 lead with a two-run single, but Girardi decided that the inning was Burnett's to escape, and he induced a key double-play ball from Eric Hosmer.

"I was able to make pitches when I needed them," Burnett said. "I used the changeup a lot to both righties and lefties. I had a couple of ground balls when I needed them with that pitch. I didn't let a lot of things bother me."

Jeter said he actually lost his two-run triple in the lights of the right-field scoreboard. His recent improvements, however, have been quite visible. Since July 22, Jeter is hitting .354 (29-for-82), raising his season average to .282.

"I'm staying back better, and obviously you're going to drive balls more," Jeter said. "That's what I think I've been doing since I came back. I just want it to continue."

Burnett recorded a pair of sixth-inning outs around a single before yielding to lefty Boone Logan, who picked off Johnny Giavotella to end the frame.

Part of that conversation with Jeter, Burnett revealed, had been about runners spying grips from second base and relaying info to hitters. Jeter told Burnett that he hadn't seen any grips on Monday; a job well done.

The Royals had other troubles on the bases. Martin gunned down Jeff Francoeur in the second inning and Giavotella to end the eighth.

"Russell threw the ball well," Jeter said. "They were aggressive on the bases, and he made some good throws in situations where the game could have turned. Sometimes those things get overlooked, but not by us."

Burnett scattered 10 hits, walking one and striking out two. Eighty-eight pitches of that had been enough, Girardi decided, even just one out shy of a quality start.

"You can't fight City Hall, man. Skip's got a reason for everything," Burnett said.

Paulino was hit for five runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings, walking five and striking out four with a hit batsman.

"The worst pitch he made all night was to Jeter," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "He hung a changeup up and kind of in a little bit, and he socks that ball a long way."

The Yankees added a run in the seventh as Andruw Jones chopped a pinch-hit single off the second-base bag, knocking in Robinson Cano to open up a three-run lead.

Rafael Soriano allowed a run in the seventh inning, coming on Cabrera's RBI double, but Mark Teixeira equaled that out with a run-scoring hit in the eighth. Dave Robertson blanked the Royals, setting up Rivera's ninth.

The Yankees never had any doubts about Rivera, and they wanted to support Burnett as well. General manager Brian Cashman defended Burnett on Friday, saying that the pitcher was being unfairly criticized in part because of his large contract.

Burnett said that Cashman's support was "awesome" and acknowledged he should be pitching much better than he has been. The Yankees have to hope that Monday marks the beginning of that turnaround.

"The way I look at it is, we'll build from this one, start pitching a little better and give Skip some confidence," Burnett said.