Cano's three-run homer bails out Nova

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Don't look now, but this year's Robinson Cano is starting to look a lot like the MVP-caliber one of 2010.

The second baseman continued his recent tear at the plate Tuesday night, collecting two hits, including a key three-run homer, in the Yankees' 9-7 victory over the Royals in front of 22,258 at Kauffman Stadium.

The Yankees (74-46), winners of 13 of their last 17, will go for a three-game sweep Wednesday night. The Yankees moved a half-game ahead of the Red Sox, who split a doubleheader with the Rays.

The Yankees had 12 hits, two each by Cano, Derek Jeter, who continued swinging a hot bat, Eduardo Nuñez and Brett Gardner.

The outburst saved Ivan Nova from suffering his first loss since June 3. Nova (12-4) allowed a season-high seven runs in 51/3 innings but was picked up by his offense, which averaged 7.09 runs per start for him coming in, and the bullpen. It was Nova's eighth straight win.

Boone Logan (one inning), Rafael Soriano (two-thirds) and David Robertson (one) did not allow a hit in getting the ball to Mariano Rivera, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 32nd save.

Cano entered with 11 hits in his last 21 at-bats and 18 in his last 45. His three-run homer off Danny Duffy, the Royals' 22-year-old lefthander, highlighted a five-run fourth that turned a 5-3 deficit into an 8-5 lead.

The blast, coming after Cano fouled off seven straight pitches in a 12-pitch at-bat, was Cano's 21st home run and fifth in his last 12 games. "It's as good as it gets,'' Joe Girardi said. "That's just a great at-bat."

It was also the last pitch for Duffy, who lasted a season-worst three innings and allowed a season-high eight runs.

Cano hit .320 in 2009 and .319 last season, when he had a career-best 29 homers and 109 RBIs and was third in MVP voting. He raised his average to .306, the highest it has been since May 3. He has 85 RBIs.

"I think he's turned it up a notch here in the last couple weeks,'' Girardi said. "He's had a good second half for us. There's a lot put on Robbie's shoulders every day. He understands the expectations and he handles them really well."

Cano was asked if he thinks that in the last couple of weeks he's felt like he did most of last year.

"I've been able to drive the ball the other way, something I wasn't doing in the first half,'' Cano said. "That's what you want, using the whole field."

After the five-run fourth, an inning that included an RBI double from Jeter and an RBI single by Mark Teixeira, Nova provided shutdown innings in the fourth and fifth.

But after Nova allowed two runs with one out in the sixth, cutting the lead to 8-7, Girardi called on lefty Logan to face lefthander Mike Moustakas with a runner on second. Logan struck out Moustakas and got out of the inning when Teixeira made a diving stop to his left on Alcides Escobar's ground smash down the line.

Jeter's run-scoring single in the seventh made it 9-7.

Superlatives were swirling around Nova for much of the last month. After a nearly four-week detour in the minors, he continued what he'd been doing there in the majors. Recent talk included Nova, who was 7-0 with a 3.10 ERA in his last eight starts since a June 3 loss in Anaheim, as an emerging Rookie of the Year candidate and even possible No. 2 starter in a Division Series. This start was a reminder such talk might be premature.

Girardi said Nova isn't in need of a mulligan to get another start.

"He's pitched really well,'' Girardi said. "He just hung some pitches tonight."