Yankees wait out rain, but can't get it going and lose to Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - On the day Andy Pettitte suffered a setback, his replacement didn't make fans feel any better about the lefthander's absence.

Dustin Moseley, coming off an impressive performance against the Red Sox on Sunday night - when he allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings - wasn't nearly as good Friday in a 4-3 loss to the Royals on a strange night, which included two rain delays that extended the game into the morning, at Kauffman Stadium.

“Just kind of a weird night,” manager Joe Girardi said.

The Yankees (71-44) missed a chance to extend their lead over both the Rays and the Red Sox, who both lost Friday night, and the Yankees went quietly over the last four innings after a 2-hour, 10-minute rain delay. They still lead Tampa by two games and Boston by six.

Royals closer Joakim Soria allowed Derek Jeter's leadoff single in the ninth but retired Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira - after catcher Jason Kendall dropped a foul pop. Alex Rodriguez singled to put runners on first and third but Robinson Cano grounded out, earning Soria his 32nd save.

The game featured two rain delays, one with the score tied at 3-3 and the Royals about to bat in the bottom of the third; and with one out in the fifth and Kansas City leading, having just taken a 4-3 lead.

Moseley (2-2, 4.41) returned after the first delay, which lasted just 31 minutes, but not the second, which dumped far more rain and included plenty of thunder and lightning.

Moseley's last pitch, in the fifth inning, resulted in a walk to Wilson Betemit, with the previous batter, Billy Butler, giving the Royals a 4-3 lead with his 11th home run of the season, a shot off the foul pole in right.

“When it came off the bat, I definitely thought it was going to be foul,” said Moseley, who allowed four runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings.

After the walk to Betemit, umpires called for the tarp a second time, at 9:21 p.m. local time, and it would stay on until 11:20. Chad Gaudin replaced Moseley with one on and one out in the fifth and walked designated hitter Kila Ka'aihue. He retired the next two batters, then three straight in the sixth.

Righty Jesse Chavez came on in the sixth for Royals starter Kyle Davies, who allowed three runs and seven hits in three innings. He went unscored on in two more innings before turning it over to Blake Wood in the eighth.

The Yankees had a chance against Wood as Jorge Posada led off with a walk and Ramiro Peña pinch ran. Peña was caught in a rundown but the Royals botched it, and he ended up on second. The Yankees could not get him home, though, as pinch hitter Nick Swisher struck out and Brett Gardner grounded out.

“Our at-bats weren’t bad, we just didn’t get the hit we needed tonight,” Girardi said.

Moseley's problems began in the first, though he escaped the inning without allowing a run. Gregor Blanco, who left Thursday night's game with heat exhaustion, led off with a single and stole second with one out. Butler singled to left, where Gardner came up throwing a one-hop strike to Posada, who easily tagged out Blanco.

Betemit followed with a single but Moseley ended the inning by getting Ka'aihue to fly out.

He was not as fortunate in the second. After Alex Gordon grounded out, Mike Aviles singled, Mitch Maier walked and No. 9 hitter Yuniesky Betancourt brought both runners in with a double to left, giving the Royals a 2-0 lead. Jason Kendall's sacrifice fly later in the inning made it 3-0.

“I was just missing up with everything,” Moseley said. “Everything was elevated early on.”

The Yankees tied it in the top of the third. Granderson singled up the middle and Teixeira doubled down the line in right. Rodriguez's infield single brought in Granderson and Cano's single made it 3-2. It was A-Rod's team-best 92nd RBI. Posada grounded out but Lance Berkman's double to right brought in A-Rod to tie it at 3-3.

After Moseley set down the Royals in order after the rain delay, the Yankees squandered a chance to take the lead. Gardner slapped an opposite-field double down the leftfield line. He stayed there, however, as Jeter popped out to Davies on a bunt attempt, Granderson popped out and Teixeira struck out.

It stayed tied until one out in the fifth when Butler hit an opposite-field drive down the rightfield line, making it 4-3. Betemit walked and then the tarp came on the field for a second time.

During the delay Berkman said the Yankees watched the end of the Rangers/Red Sox game.

The tarp actually was pulled off at 10:45 local time and the announcement was made in the press box that "we're shooting" for a restart time of 11. Gaudin and Chavez started warming in the bullpens. But a few minutes later, with lightning flashing around the stadium and above it, and thunder booming, Girardi came out to talk to the umpires. Shortly thereafter, he waved to Gaudin and the rest of the bullpen personnel to come back in. Shortly after that, the tarp was back on the field for a while longer as a thunderstorm moved through.

“It seems every year there’s one of these games,” Berkman said. “You’re going to sit around forever and try to reestablish momentum.”

Friday night for the Yankees, it didn’t happen.