Jason Vargas is now 0-5 against the Yankees after pitching four innings on Tuesday night.

Jason Vargas is now 0-5 against the Yankees after pitching four innings on Tuesday night.

Mark Teixeira homered and drove in four runs to back Adam Warren who held the Royals to just two hits into the seventh inning as the AL champions reached their first three-game losing streak of the season in a 5-1 loss to the New York Yankees.  Despite the loss, two good takeaways from the game.

First, Jason Vargas threw the ball well, according to manager Ned Yost.  Vargas was activated from the DL just in time to replace Danny Duffy who is out with biceps biceps tendinitis. Vargas was on a 75-pitch limit and manager Yost pulled him after four innings, and 76 pitches. He struck out six and gave up four hits in his first start since May 5.

“I thought coming back off the DL, he was pretty darn sharp,” Yost said. “Just one pitch, he tried to go down and away and it kind of ran back middle-middle to Teixeira. But six punch-outs in four innings, he threw the ball really well.”

Vargas is now 0-5 lifetime against the Yankees.

The other bright spot was Paulo Orlando’s first major league home run.  That came in the sixth inning.  Orlando was able to get the ball from the fan who caught it after negotiating a batting glove, bat and signed balls.  Geez, nice fan…couldn’t do a ball-for-ball trade.  No, instead holds out for more.  This came after the fan tried to trick staff by throwing back a batting practice ball.