Yankees Bats Suffocated by Seth Lugo in Loss to Royals

Pinstripes Struggle to Generate Offense Against Lugo's Gem

New York's Skid Continues as Playoff Hopes Dwindle

The New York Yankees' playoff hopes took a significant hit on Tuesday night as they fell 4-0 to the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium. The loss extended the Yankees' losing streak to four games and dropped them to 10 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.

The Royals' victory was largely due to the outstanding performance of starting pitcher Seth Lugo. The right-hander tossed 7 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out eight. Lugo's outing was his longest of the season and helped the Royals snap a three-game losing streak.

The Yankees' offense, which had been struggling in recent games, was unable to get anything going against Lugo. The Bombers managed just three hits in the game, including two singles and a double. New York's only real scoring chance came in the fourth inning when they loaded the bases with one out, but Lugo struck out Matt Carpenter and induced Aaron Hicks to ground out to end the threat.