Gee delivering stability as Royals’ fifth starter

KANSAS CITY — In a crucial series opener against the Yankees, Royals right-hander Dillon Gee delivered.

Gee gave up just four hits, which matched a season low, and one run in six innings in an 8-5 win to pull Kansas City just two games back of Baltimore for an American League Wild Card spot for the first time since the All-Star break. Gee struck out four, all looking, while walking one batter. It was his seventh straight start of five innings or more, a mark he has hit in 10 of his last 12 starts, and couldn’t have come at a bigger time.

“I’ll take it for sure,” Gee said. “The guys got me an early lead, and the focus from there was just try to hold [it].”

Gee got off to a quick start, retiring the first eight batters he faced. He didn’t allow a runner to reach scoring position until the fourth inning, when the Yankees finally broke through with a pair of two-out doubles by Didi Gregorius and Starlin Castro.

“Ended up hanging a curve ball to Castro for the only run that they scored, but [he] just did a great job of executing pitches,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “[He] changed speeds very, very …

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