Posted on Tue, Apr. 08, 2008

It was bone-chilling cold Tuesday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium after a steady morning downpour. Dark and damp. Raw and windy. Brutal stuff, really.

Then again it was still marvelous for a sellout crowd stoked with anticipation.

The Royals extended their best start in five years by opening their home schedule with a 5-2 victory over the New York Yankees.

And if the new Crown Vision scoreboard is any indication, this $250 million stadium renovation is going to be something when completed.

“That thing is unbelievable,” Royals third baseman Alex Gordon said. “I think I was watching it the whole game. It was like I was at a movie theater. We loved it. It’s exciting to see all of these renovations going on.”

The on-field overhaul is taking shape, too.

The Royals are now 5-2 after combining a balanced 12-hit attack with four shutout innings from their bullpen. It is their best seven-game start since they opened 2003 with nine straight victories.

Brian Bannister couldn’t repeat the dominance of his first start, when he limited the Tigers to two singles in seven shutout innings, but he battled his way through five innings and handed a three-run lead to what is becoming a shut-down bullpen.

“That was some of the most challenging conditions that I’ve pitched in,” Bannister said. “I had some adrenaline running. It was windy. It was cold. It was tough to throw strikes.

“It is the Yankees. You don’t feel like you can just throw the ball over the heart of the plate.”

New York, 4-4, played without shortstop Derek Jeter, who is sidelined by a strained left quadriceps, and lost catcher Jorge Posada in the sixth inning because of an undetermined arm injury.

The result was an attack that managed just seven hits, all singles, and got only one runner as far as second base after the third inning.

“We haven’t swung the bats great all year,” New York manager Joe Girardi said. “They made some pitches when they had to, that was the bottom line. They’ve pitched well all year, and they just continued to do it today.”

Bannister endured a 42-pitch second inning that included three walks. Throw in a couple of singles, and the result was two runs. It could have been worse; the Yankees had the bases loaded when Bannister struck out Robinson Cano on a full count.

“I really felt that he’d end up finding it,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said. “I didn’t care if we were lucky or good or how it happened. I really didn’t care. I just wanted him to be able to get out of that. He rebounded well from that as far as stamina goes.”

Bannister, 2-0, worked three more scoreless innings after that extended second. In all, he gave up five hits, while striking out six and walking four. Bannister struck out reigning MVP Alex Rodriguez three times, all looking.

Then came a four-man bullpen parade that limited the Yankees to two singles over the final four innings. Joakim Soria worked the ninth for his fourth save in four opportunities.

“They’re all locating and throwing hard,” Royals catcher John Buck said. “They all have a secondary pitch they can throw at any time. That way in fastball counts, they don’t just have to groove a fastball. They’ve got something else they can throw.”

The bullpen has now yielded just two runs and 10 hits this season in 21 innings while striking out 27 and walking four.

“It’s easy to play when you get pitching like that,” Gordon said. “You just feel more comfortable in the field and especially at the plate when you’re not always having to come from behind.”

Joey Gathright ignited the attack with two singles and three steals that led to two runs. Gordon also had two hits and scored twice. Mark Grudzielanek, Mark Teahen, Billy Butler and Ross Gload had two hits apiece.

The Royals got single runs in the first, second and fourth innings against Yankees starter Phil Hughes, 0-1, before Gload’s two-run single in the fifth against reliever Ross Ohlendorfclosed out the scoring.

Ron Mahay replaced Bannister to start the sixth and went 1 1/3 innings before departing with a runner on first in the seventh. Ramon Ramirez struck out Rodriguez — swinging this time — and retired Hideki Matsui on a pop to third.

It was just the fourth four-strikeout game of A-Rod’s distinguished career.

Leo Nuñez blew through a one-two-three eighth inning with two strikeouts before Soria worked a one-two-three ninth.

Hillman called it “a good day.”

Hard to argue.

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To reach Bob Dutton, Royals reporter for The Star, call 816-234-4352 or send e-mail to bdutton@kcstar.com