NEW YORK -- Robinson Cano homered for the third consecutive game and Chien-Ming Wang pitched into the eighth inning, helping lead the Yankees to a 7-1 victory over the Royals on Friday.
The victory was the Yankees' fourth in five games this season against cellar-dwelling Kansas City, helping New York improve its Major League-best record since the All-Star break to 16-7.
Cano got the Yankees started by slugging a solo shot -- his 11th -- off Royals left-hander Odalis Perez in the second inning. New York added two runs in the fourth off Perez as Shelley Duncan and Cano singled, moved up on a sacrifice bunt, then scored on a Jose Molina sacrifice fly -- his first RBI as a member of the Yankees -- and a booming Johnny Damon double to center field.
Melky Cabrera brought home a fifth run with an unorthodox ground-rule double in the sixth, smacking a liner up the middle that ricocheted off pitcher Ryan Braun's shoe and shot off into the field-level seats behind the Yankees' dugout, allowing Andy Phillips and Molina to score.
No batter in Major League history has hit a grand slam for his 500th home run, but Alex Rodriguez had a chance later in the three-run sixth inning. Rodriguez instead settled for a sacrifice fly to right, finishing the night still stuck on 499 home runs. His last blast came on July 25 at Kansas City.
Chien-Ming Wang, who has gritted past a run of threatening scenarios in his recent starts, kept that string of success alive by stifling Kansas City. Wang allowed a run in the second inning as the Royals strung together three of the seven hits he'd allow, including an RBI single by Ross Gload, but the right-hander otherwise settled in.
Wang hurled seven innings to pick up his team-leading 13th victory and his 10th win in his last 11 decisions, walking one and striking out three before yielding duties to Mike Myers, Luis Vizcaino and Mariano Rivera to finish off the final six outs.