You’ll recall that on Monday night, the Yankees went 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position, their most at-bats without a hit in such situations since 1990. And so, last night, the middle game of their series with the Royals went at least a bit better: They were 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position, including a Derek Jeter, bases-loaded single that tied the game at two in the fifth inning. They’d score the go-ahead run, however, on a productive out with the bases still loaded, when the next batter, Curtis Granderson, drove in Russell Martin on a ground-out to second. (The Yankees would win 3-2, snapping their three-game losing streak.) Phil Hughes, who was pitching himself out of the rotation not long ago, turned in a solid outing, allowing two runs on five hits in six innings, striking out seven, walking two, and lowering his ERA below 5.00. The win, by the way, when combined with last night’s Red Sox loss, means Boston once again has sole possession of last place in the American League East.