CC beats Royals, 6-2

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Derek Jeter wasn't being disrespectful to one of his best friends. He simply painted a reality picture with a blunt brush.

"Everyone's happy to hear that, but you can't sit around and wait," Jeter said Friday afternoon, referring to the news that Mariano Rivera plans to pitch next season. "That's just how it is. Guys get hurt, injuries are unfortunate, but the games continue. I'm sure everyone's happy that he'll continue to pitch, but we still have work to do. We still have a job to do."

After a rocky start, CC Sabathia certainly did his Friday night, pitching eight strong innings to lead the Yankees to a 6-2 victory over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium that ended a three-game losing streak.

Said Jeter, "You have to have a short memory here. We played well tonight. CC pitched well. During the course of the season, you're going to have injuries, none bigger than what happened yesterday, but you have to find a way."

Mark Teixeira's two-run home run in the first inning gave the Yankees a 2-0 lead. Jeter hit a two-run homer to cap a four-run seventh against Bruce Chen that gave the Yankees a 6-2 lead. Robinson Cano led off with a single, and two outs later, Eduardo Nuñez sliced a triple down the rightfield line to break a 2-2 tie. Chris Stewart's RBI single to left and Jeter's blast to left-center gave the Yankees a 6-2 lead.

Jeter, who had two hits, is batting .404. It was his fifth home run of the season, one fewer than he had in 2011. Teixeira's homer was his fourth.

After allowing three hits in the first, including RBI doubles by Alex Gordon and Jeff Francoeur, Sabathia (4-0) gave up four hits in the next seven innings. David Robertson struck out the side in the ninth and said, "It was a really good win for us. You give the ball to our ace and he goes out there and does exactly what you expect out of him. He was amazing tonight."