KANSAS CITY -- Right-hander Edinson Volquez tossed seven shutout innings and Salvador Perez homered and drove in two runs as the Royals stymied the Yankees, 6-0, on Sunday, taking two of three in the series at Kauffman Stadium.

Volquez was sharp from the onset, retiring the first 11 hitters he faced until Alex Rodriguez doubled. Volquez gave up just three hits, walked none and struck out five.

“He’s just been very consistent for us all season,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “And today he was fantastic.”

Left-hander Chris Capuano made his 2015 debut for the Yankees after recovering from a right quad strain. Capuano went three-plus innings, giving up four hits and four runs.

Two straight walks by Capuano to Lorenzo Cain and Eric Hosmer to open the fourth triggered a three-run Royals rally -- Kendrys Morales, Perez and Omar Infante all delivered RBI hits in the inning.

“The second time through I think we just had better at-bats,” Hosmer said. “Those walks were pretty huge for us.”

Yost added, “We had to make an adjustment. First time through I think our guys all thought Capuano was going to throw them fastballs in the zone. But then they came back and realized that’s not going to happen.”

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Sal gets it started: With one out in the second inning, Perez reached after a 3-2 pitch on the outside corner and pulled the ball just over the left-field fence and into the Royals’ bullpen for his fifth homer of the season. Perez wasn’t finished. In the fourth, he put the Royals up 3-0 when he pulled a Capuano slider into the hole between short and third, scoring Hosmer.

Of the homer, Yost said, “I didn’t think he had enough to get it out, but he’s a strong guy.”