The New York Yankees didn’t waste time against Kansas City Royals starter Jordan Lyles on Sunday.

The Yankees scored four runs in the first inning en route to an 8-5 victory at Yankee Stadium.

Lyles struggled with his command early. He couldn’t locate his fastball and it proved costly. The Yankees collected four consecutive hits to begin the afternoon game.

“Everything they swung at, they were hitting hard in the first inning ...” Lyles said. “It was a couple of misses here and there. A good lineup, they’ll put up a crooked number on you.”

Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres provided the biggest hit. Torres belted his 16th home run on a 91.9 mph fastball that Lyles left over the plate.

Two batters later, Yankees star Anthony Rizzo recorded an RBI double. He finished 4 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs.

Lyles allowed five earned runs in five innings and dropped to 1-12 this season. He registered 16 called strikes and eight whiffs in the game.

“You got to give credit where credit is due,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “They hit the ball hard and they got to him in the first. He made an adjustment.”

The Royals scattered 12 hits but couldn’t overcome the deficit. Salvador Perez, Michael Massey, Freddy Fermin and Kyle Isbel each hit home runs.

For Perez, it was his first homer since June 23 against Tampa Bay. Meanwhile, Massey hit his third home run of the series. His tworun shot brought the Royals within two runs.

“You play from behind and it makes it tougher,” Quatraro said. “I thought we were competitive throughout with the at-bats.”

But the Yankees got to Royals closer Scott Barlow in the eighth inning. Barlow pitched two-thirds of an inning, allowing three runs (one earned). He issued two walks as the Yankees tackled on three more runs.

“We are going to keep trying and keep playing hard every day,” Perez said. “Today’s over and it’s not what we want. We are going to try to forget what happened in New York and fly to Cleveland. Try to have a great series.”

The Royals dropped to 28-73 and were swept for the 10th time this season.

Missed previous games of the series?

Game 1: Michael Massey homers twice as Royals fall 5-4 to Yankees Game 2: Brady Singer spins gem in Royals 5-2 loss at Yankee Stadium Here are more notables from Sunday’s game:

Royals leave 2 runners stranded in 2nd inning

The Royals failed to cash in an early scoring opportunity against the Yankees.

Ater Lyles surrendered four runs in the first inning, the Royals were set up to respond against Severino. Massey got aboard with a one-out single, then advanced to third base after Fermin doubled.

This brought Royals first baseman Nick Pratto to the plate ... but Pratto struck out on four pitches. He swung through a 99.1 mph fastball for the second out.

Royals outfielder Drew Waters faced a similar fate. He chased two pitches outside of the zone, including a 98.2 mph fastball that ended the inning.

Severino earned his second win of the season. He allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings of work.

KC finished 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

Royals captain Perez hits 16th home run Perez was ready to launch in the fourth inning.

The Royals captain blasted a 97 mph fastball the opposite way against Severino, a solo shot that snapped a 19-game stretch by Perez without a home run. This one traveled 381 feet and landed in the second deck. It registered a 102.4 mph exit velocity and a 29-degree launch angle.

But Perez downplayed the home run’s importance after the game: “I always say, if you hit a home run and the team doesn’t win, its like you didn’t do anything to help this team to win. ... As a team, we just lost. (The homer) doesn’t mean anything.”

Perez, who has now hit eight home runs at Yankee Stadium during his career, is tied alongside Bobby Witt Jr. with a team-best 16 homers this season.