New York @ Kansas City preview

Last Meeting ( May 12, 2011 ) Kansas City 11, NY Yankees 5

THE STORY: Sunday’s rainout against Tampa Bay brought an abbreviated end to a 12-game stretch against four straight playoff contenders for the New York Yankees, who hit the road for the first of a three-game road trip against the Kansas City Royals on Monday. Struggling righthander A.J. Burnett will take the mound for the Yankees looking to end a pair of skids. He is winless in his last seven starts, and hasn't won a game in August since joining the Yankees prior to the 2009 season. Burnett will be going up against another pitcher desperate for a victory in Kansas City’s Felipe Paulino.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, YES, FSKC

PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH A.J. Burnett (8-9, 4.60 ERA) vs. Royals RH Felipe Paulino (1-8, 4.06 ERA).

Burnett initially was scheduled to start Monday's game but was moved up to Sunday to replace Freddy Garcia, who is dealing with a cut on his finger. Burnett is 0-3 in his last seven starts and has not won since June 29. He also has been a disaster in the month of August since joining the Yankees, going 0-8 in 13 starts. He is 3-3 with a 2.52 ERA in nine starts vs. the Royals.

Paulino also is in the midst of a victory drought, having gone 0-2 in five starts since the All-Star break. He's actually pitched decently during that span, allowing 12 runs in those five starts and only four in his last three outings. He had to leave his last start after five innings with stiffness in his back. A ninth-inning meltdown by Kansas City's bullpen cost him the win. Paulino has never faced the Yankees.

ABOUT THE YANKEES (72-46): DH Jorge Posada, who will turn 40 on Wednesday, provided an unexpected jolt to the lineup Saturday. After he was benched a week earlier, Posada may have thrust himself back into the DH mix with his 10th career slam and first six-RBI game since September 2006. Curtis Granderson also went deep for his fifth homer in five games. He has 33 homers – one behind Toronto's Jose Bautista for the major league lead. Robinson Cano is batting .440 (11-for-25) during a six-game hitting streak. Mark Teixeira broke out of a 4-for-31 slump with a pair of hits and just his second RBI in his last nine games.

ABOUT THE ROYALS (50-71): Kansas City should be thrilled about returning home following a 1-6 road trip to Tampa Bay and Chicago. However, the seven-game homestand comes against heavyweights New York and Boston, owners of the two best records in the AL. The Royals scored two runs or fewer in four of the seven games on the road trip to drop to 19-39 away from home. Former Yankee Melky Cabrera has been a bright spot, batting .448 (13-for-29) while hitting safely in his last seven, including five multi-hit games. Jeff Francoeur has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games (14-for-43).

FINAL PITCH: Garcia sliced a finger while cooking and is expected to miss at least one start. He has gone 3-0 in his last four starts to improve to 10-7 on the year.