ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Mike Zunino returned from the paternity list and hit his first home run for Tampa Bay, a two-run shot that helped the Rays stop a season-high four-game skid with a 6-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.

Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe and Daniel Robertson also drove in runs for the AL East leaders, who scored three times in the seventh to come from behind against Brad Keller (2-2). It’s the ninth time this season the Royals have lost after holding a lead in the sixth inning or beyond.

Pitching while appealing a five-game suspension for his role in a benches-clearing fracas with the Chicago White Sox last week, Keller held the Rays in check until giving up Robertson’s tying RBI grounder and Zunino’s homer to straight away center in the seventh.

Zunino, obtained from Seattle in an offseason trade, missed three games while on the paternity list for the birth of his son last Friday.

The 23-year-old Keller allowed five runs and seven hits over 6 1/3 innings in his first outing since hitting Chicago’s Tim Anderson with a pitch two innings after the AL’s leading hitter emphatically spiked his bat to celebrate a homer, sparking last Wednesday’s melee that led to his suspension.

Alex Gordon, Hunter Dozier and Jorge Soler hit solo homers for the Royals, who have lost four straight.

Gordon and Dozier went deep for the second straight game, with Gordon connecting off Rays starter Yonny Chirinos in the first inning and Dozier giving the Royals a 3-1 lead in the sixth. Soler’s solo shot snapped a fifth-inning tie.

Wilmer Font (1-0) struck out the only batter he faced to get the win. Emilio Pagan pitched the ninth for his first career save.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (left shoulder impingement syndrome) is expected to rejoin the rotation Friday night. “He’s been one of our better starters over the last couple years, and when he’s healthy we know what type of pitcher he is,” manager Ned Yost said.

Rays: RF Austin Meadows, who’s on the injured list with a sprained right thumb, will be shut down for 10 days and hopes he will be ready to return in three to four weeks. “Let the swelling go down and after that see where we’re at,” Meadows said.

ON THE MEND

Rays LHP Blake Snell (fractured right fourth toe) had a light mound session totaling eight pitches in advance of an upcoming full bullpen. The 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner did not take part in defensive drills with the other pitchers. Snell was hurt moving a decorative stand in the bathroom of his home on April 14.

UP NEXT

Royals RHP Homer Bailey (2-1) will start the middle date of a three-game series. The Rays will use an opener, but were waiting until after Monday’s game to announce which reliever would take the mound first.

NEW YORK (AP) — Austin Romine drove in the winning run in the 10th inning with his third RBI single, and the New York Yankees overcame a bullpen collapse that followed another scoreless start by James Paxton to beat the Kansas City Royals 7-6 Sunday.

After adding All-Star slugger Aaron Judge to their ever-growing injury list, the Yankees escaped a couple late jams and got back over .500.

Jake Diekman (0-1) walked Mike Tauchman and Gio Urshela leading off the bottom of the 10th, and 23-year-old Thairo Estrada made his big league debut as a pinch hitter and sacrificed against Ian Kennedy.

Romine drove a fly that bounced on the center-field warning track for his first career walk-off hit.

Judge became New York’s major league-high 13th player on the injured list, a day after straining his left oblique muscle. Manager Aaron Boone called the injury “pretty significant” without giving a timeframe for the outfielder’s return.

With most of the Bronx Bombers out for repair, Clint Frazier started for the first time in the majors as a cleanup man and hit a three-run homer for a 5-0 lead in the fifth. He has six home runs and 17 RBIs in his return from a concussion that wrecked his 2017 season.

Paxton allowed three hits and became only the second Yankees pitcher to strike out 12 or more in consecutive starts. He left with a 5-0 lead but the Royals went ahead with a surprising six-run eighth. They loaded the bases against Chad Green, and Adam Ottavino gave up Adalberto Mondesi’s two-run double, Alex Gordon’s three-run homer and Hunter Dozier’s home run off the back of the right-field bullpen on the next pitch.

Tauchman doubled off Wily Peralta leading off the bottom half and tied the score 6-6 on Romine’s two-out single.

Aroldis Chapman allowed a leadoff single in the ninth to Billy Hamilton, who stole second and third but was stranded when Mondesi struck out and Alex Gordon flied out. Frazier stranded Brett Gardner at third when he struck out against Scott Barlow in the bottom of the ninth and snapped his bat over a leg in frustration.

Zack Britton (1-0) gave up a leadoff single to Dozier in the 10th and picked off speedy pinch runner Terrance Gore, causing concern when the reliever appeared to turn an ankle while applying the tag at first to end a rundown. Britton then got a pair of called third strikes, giving New York pitchers 20 strikeouts.

New York improved to 11-10, its first winning record since it was 5-4. The Yankees headed on a nine-game western trip after a 6-3 homestand.

Paxton induced 18 swings and misses plus a pair of foul tips for strike three. He fanned 12 and walked one in six-plus innings.

The 30-year-old lefty had a fastball last Tuesday that averaged 97 mph when he pitched eight innings of two-hit ball with 12 strikeouts in an 8-0 win over Boston. His heater averaged about 95 mph against the Royals, and he mixed in curveballs and sliders that bewildered batters.

New York’s only previous pitcher with 12 or more strikeouts in back-to-back starts was in the broadcast booth calling this game for the YES Network: David Cone struck out 14 against Florida on June 7, 1998, and a dozen versus Cleveland seven days later. Paxton reached double digits in strikeouts for the third time in consecutive games and the 13th time overall.

New York went ahead when DJ LeMahieu doubled leading off and scored from third on a passed by Martin Maldonado. Mike Ford hit an opposite-field double to left-center in the second, his first big league hit after an 0-for-6 start, and scored on Romine’s single.

Royals starter Jorge López allowed five runs — four earned — in seven innings.

STREAKING

Tauchman was first player whose first six hits with the Yankees all were for extra bases since Dave Kingman in 1977. The streak ended in the third when he hit a grounder that nicked first base, changed direction and went off the right foot of Lucas Duda for a single.

SHORT-STAFFED

Kansas City went with 24 players, optioning right-hander Glenn Sparkman to Triple-A Omaha after he allowed three runs and six hits in three innings Saturday.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (left shoulder impingement) allowed an unearned run and four hits over 5 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts and no walks for Northwest Arkansas against Springfield on Saturday night. He could be activated for next weekend’s home series against the Los Angeles Angeles.

Yankees: C Gary Sánchez, out since April 10 with a strained left calf, is scheduled to play a rehabilitation game Monday with Class A Charleston and could be activated Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Brad Keller (2-1) starts Monday at Tampa Bay, his first appearance since hitting Tim Anderson of the Chicago White Sox with a pitch after Anderson homered. Keller received a five-game suspension, which he has appealed.

Yankees: LHP J.A. Happ (0-2) starts at the Los Angeles Angels in the opener of a trip, facing RHP Matt Harvey (0-2). The former Mets ace has a 9.64 ERA.

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge took a swing, winced and then labored to make it all the way to first base.

Quickly, the crowd at Yankee Stadium went silent, realizing this was a most costly hit.

Judge hurt his left oblique and likely was headed to the injured list as the already banged-up New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 9-2 Saturday.

The All-Star slugger homered early but injured himself in the sixth inning while hitting a single. He was taken for an MRI and further tests.

Manager Aaron Boone said he didn’t know the severity of the setback. But when asked if Judge could possibly avoid going on the injured list, Boone said, “Probably not”.

The Yankees began the game with 12 players on the injured list, including Giancarlo Stanton, Luis Severino, Gary Sanchez and Aaron Hicks. Of those missing, only Sanchez appears close to returning.

“You never want to see that and you know he doesn’t come out of games like that,” Stanton said. “We’ll just wait and see what we got.”

Judge hurt himself on the swing and gingerly made his way down the line. Trainer Steve Donahue immediately came from the dugout to check on Judge, who then left.

Judge has five home runs and is batting .288 with 11 RBIs. The right fielder has played in every game this season.

“It’s Aaron Judge. He’s one of the great players in the game,” Boone said. “Such a key figure to our club, not only between the lines, obviously, but what he means to us in the room. He’ll be part of continuing to lead forward. This is not a time where we’re going to feel sorry for ourselves.”

It was the second straight season Judge was hurt playing against Kansas City. Last July, he sustained a broken right wrist when he was hit by a pitch from Jakob Junis and missed nearly two months.

It also was the second time Judge injured his oblique on a swing. In a 2016 game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in mid-September, he suffered a Grade 2 right oblique strain and missed the rest of that season.

The Yankees hit four home runs in this win.

Judge connected in the first, Clint Frazier had a solo drive in the second and Mike Tauchman and DJ LeMahieu homered on consecutive pitches in the fourth.

Boone was ejected for the first time this season in the third after an apparent three-run homer by Gleyber Torres was overturned by fan interference and ruled an out.

Torres hit a flyball to left and a fan in the first row reached over and tried to make a barehanded catch as Gold Glove outfielder Alex Gordon attempted to make a leaping catch.

The Royals challenged the call and following a lengthy review to overturn it, Boone raced out of the dugout and was ejected by second base umpire Jerry Meals following a demonstrative display. After being tossed for the fifth time as a manager, Boone briefly argued with first base umpire Ron Kulpa before heading off the field.

Judge and Frazier hit their fifth homers of the season in the opening two innings off Heath Fillmyer (0-1) as the Yankees took a 2-0 lead.

Tauchman made it 5-0 with a three-run homer that easily cleared the right-center field fence. After Tauchman homered for the second straight game, LeMahieu hit his first of the season.

Masahiro Tanaka (2-1) pitched seven innings of one-run ball. He took a shutout into the sixth before allowing a homer to Whit Merrifield to start the inning.

Chris Owings homered in the ninth for Kansas City.

Fillmyer allowed six runs in four innings.

“If a pitch is up — you make a little bit of a mistake — it doesn’t take too much to get burned on it,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

GONZALEZ OPTS OUT

LHP Gio Gonzalez opted out of his minor league contract with the Yankees, who have 48 hours to release him or add him to the major league roster. Gonzalez signed the deal with the Yankees in March that contained $3 million in base salary if he got added to the 40-man roster and a chance to get $9 million in performance bonuses by getting $300,000 per start.

Gonzalez is 2-1 with a 6.00 ERA in three starts covering 15 innings at Triple-A. He has 19 strikeouts and six walks. He was supposed to pitch Friday but the game was rained out.

LEMAHIEU SOUVENIR

LeMahieu hit his first homer since signing with the Yankees and received the ball from the fan who caught it. After the game, he met 11-year-old David Vallante and his father, who traveled from Rhode Island, exchanged two signed baseballs along with a bat and posed for pictures.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (shoulder impingement syndrome) is scheduled to make a rehab start Saturday night for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Before the game, GM Dayton Moore told reporters Duffy could return soon if his rehab start goes well. Duffy has been on the 10-day injured list all season and did not pitch in spring training.

Yankees: Sanchez (left calf strain) will play in a minor league rehab game Monday. The Yankees have not determined where the game will take place. If Sanchez gets through the rehab game without any issues, Boone said the catcher will fly to Anaheim on Tuesday and be activated Wednesday. . 3B Miguel Andujar (labrum tear in right shoulder) will head to the minor league facility in Tampa, Florida, on Monday.

UP NEXT

LHP James Paxton starts Sunday afternoon for the Yankees. Paxton struck out 12 in eight innings Tuesday against Boston. RHP Jorge Lopez (0-2, 4.30 ERA) starts for Kansas City. Lopez struck out a career-high 10 hitters but allowed four runs on eight hits in six innings Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox.

NEW YORK (AP) — CC Sabathia played stopper again for the Yankees in earning his first win of the season and Brett Gardner hit a two-run homer to help New York beat the Kansas City Royals 6-2 on Friday night.

Mike Tauchman also went deep and the Yankees got four solid innings from their bullpen to bounce back from a listless performance against the last-place Royals in the series opener. Held without an extra-base hit Thursday for the first time since Aug. 5, New York quickly rebounded and improved to 4-3 on its nine-game homestand.

Sabathia (1-0) did not allow an earned run over five innings, moving to 15-1 in the regular season following a Yankees loss since 2017. He gave up three hits, overcame four walks and finished with five strikeouts to leave him six shy of 3,000 for his career.

The 38-year-old lefty, who has 247 major league wins, was pulled after 86 pitches in his second start of the year following offseason operations on his heart and right knee.

Luis Cessa permitted a run on back-to-back doubles by Hunter Dozier and Alex Gordon to begin the sixth, but pinned a runner at third base with consecutive strikeouts to end the inning. Adam Ottavino, Tommy Kahnle and Zack Britton closed with hitless relief in an intermittent rain.

Gardner gave New York a 2-1 lead in the third with his drive off Jakob Junis (1-2), making his first appearance at Yankee Stadium since July 26, when his fastball broke Aaron Judge’s wrist. The right-hander dropped to 0-3 in the Bronx.

Right fielder Clint Frazier threw out a runner at the plate to aid Sabathia, and Tauchman launched his second big league homer leading off the fifth.

Judge doubled to start the sixth and scored when center fielder Billy Hamilton made a diving catch of DJ LeMahieu’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly. Luke Voit, who has reached base safely in 30 straight games dating to last season, scored on a passed ball.

Kyle Higashioka hit a leadoff double in the seventh and scored when Dozier made a throwing error from third base on Tyler Wade’s bunt single.

Adalberto Mondesi had an RBI single in the third when the Royals took advantage of two Yankees errors — one by Sabathia. He retired Alex Gordon on a tapper in front of home plate with the bases loaded to end the inning.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (shoulder impingement syndrome) is scheduled to make a rehab start Saturday night for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Duffy has been on the 10-day injured list all season.

Yankees: For the first time since his injury, 3B Miguel Andújar (labrum tear in right shoulder) made throws from third to first base at about 50% effort before the game and said he felt good. Andújar and the Yankees remain optimistic he’ll be able to avoid season-ending surgery. … C Gary Sánchez (strained left calf) caught J.A. Happ’s bullpen and was hoping to be cleared by the doctor to begin a rehab assignment. Sánchez is likely to need a game or two in the minors and could rejoin the Yankees on their West Coast swing, which begins Monday. He is eligible to come off the injured list Sunday. … OF-DH Giancarlo Stanton (left biceps strain) also might be able to return at some point on the nine-game road trip, manager Aaron Boone said.

UP NEXT

Royals right-hander Heath Fillmyer (0-0, 9.00 ERA) makes his third start of the season Saturday afternoon against RHP Masahiro Tanaka (1-1, 3.22). Fillmyer, who grew up in nearby New Jersey, took a no-decision at Yankee Stadium last July. Tanaka conceded only one earned run in each of his first three starts this year before giving up five runs and seven hits over four-plus innings Sunday in a 5-2 loss to the White Sox.