Kansas City Royals vs Seattle Mariners Match Player Stats On Jul 04, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Jul 4, 2017

SEATTLE -- Danny Duffy, making his first start in more than a month, pitched 5 2/3 effective innings as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Seattle Mariners 7-3 on Tuesday afternoon at Safeco Field.

Duffy (5-4), who had been sidelined since May 28 with a strained right oblique, allowed two runs on five hits. The left-hander struck out four and walked two.

Whit Merrifield and Mike Moustakas hit home runs for Kansas City (43-40), which won its third game in a row and remained tied with the Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Rays for the American League's second wild-card berth.

Felix Hernandez (3-3) took the loss for the Mariners (41-44), who took their sixth consecutive home defeat.

Hernandez went six innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits, including the two home runs. He walked four and struck out five.

The fireworks started early as both teams scored in the first inning.

Merrifield led off the game by hitting Hernandez's first pitch into the Seattle bullpen in left-center field, his seventh homer of the season.

The Mariners responded in the bottom of the inning as Jean Segura and Danny Valencia singled, then advanced to second and third on Robinson Cano's groundout.

Designated hitter Nelson Cruz, making his first start since Saturday in Anaheim, when he injured his right knee sliding into second base against the Los Angeles Angels, lined a two-run single off the wall in right-center field to make it 2-1.

The Royals regained the lead in the fourth as Eric Hosmer led off with a single and Moustakas hit a one-out homer 401 feet midway up the lower deck in right field. The two-run shot, Moustakas' team-leading 24th of the season, also came on the first pitch of the at-bat against Hernandez.

Brandon Moss followed with a double off the center field wall, moved to third on a groundout by Alcides Escobar and scored when second baseman Cano bobbled a grounder by Alex Gordon for an error. That gave the Royals a 4-2 lead.

Kansas City added two more runs off Hernandez in the fifth. Following walks to Jorge Bonifacio and Hosmer, All-Star Salvador Perez lined a one-out double down the left field line, scoring both runners to make it 6-2.

The Mariners put two runners in scoring position in the sixth and seventh innings but came away with only one run.

With runners at second and third in the sixth, Peter Moylan relieved Duffy and struck out pinch hitter Ben Gamel to end the inning.

Seattle scored in the seventh to pull within 6-3.

With one out, Carlos Ruiz walked and pinch hitter Boog Powell hit a grounder to first base. Hosmer tried to get the force at second, but his throw hit Ruiz in the shoulder and ricocheted into left field, allowing the runners to advance to second and third.

Segura grounded a run-scoring single to left field, with Powell held at third. Moylan got out of the jam by getting Valencia to ground into a double play.

The Royals closed the scoring in the ninth as Bonifacio hit a two-out triple off Yovani Gallardo and scored on a wild pitch. That was the only hit Gallardo allowed in three innings of relief.

NOTES: Kansas City turned three inning-ending double plays. ... Seattle dropped to 3-31 this season when scoring three or fewer runs. ... The Royals sent RHP Miguel Almonte back to Triple-A Omaha to make room on the roster for LHP Danny Duffy. Almonte had been recalled between games of a doubleheader Saturday against the Minnesota Twins, pitching a scoreless inning in the nightcap. ... The finale of the three-game series Wednesday will feature left-handers who lead their teams in wins. The Royals are scheduled to start All-Star Jason Vargas (12-3, 2.22 ERA), while the Mariners plan to send Ariel Miranda (7-4, 3.82) to the mound.