Royals nudge past Mariners for 5-3 win
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Royals scored single runs in the sixth and seventh innings to claim a 5-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on a steamy Saturday at Kauffman Stadium.
The game-time temperature was 88 degrees with a heat index of 98.
Edinson Volquez (8-8) picked up the win for Kansas City. He pitched six innings, giving up three runs and six hits with one walk and three strikeouts.
Every batter in the Kansas City lineup except Christian Colon had at least one hit.
Kelvin Herrera pitched the ninth for his first save since 2013. It was his first save opportunity since closer Wade Davis went on the disabled list July 5 with a right forearm strain.
Wade Miley (6-6) suffered the loss. He pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on 10 hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
Kansas City took the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Paulo Orlando beat out an infield hit to start the inning. After Brett Eibner walked, Alcides Escobar bunted, but Orlando was forced at third. Cheslor Cuthbert then delivered a line drive over shortstop, scoring Eibner and chasing Miley.
Perez extended the lead in the seventh to 5-3 with a two-out solo home run off Vidal Nuno, Perez's 14th homer of the season.
Perez then helped reliever Joakim Soria get out of trouble in the top of the eighth. With one out and runners on the corners, Perez picked off Kyle Seager, who wandered too far off first. It was the first pickoff of the season for Perez but the 18th of his career, the most in the majors leagues since his debut in 2011.
Franklin Gutierrez followed with a flyout to deep center that would have scored a run with only one out.
The Royals got to Miley early, scoring three runs on three doubles in the second. Perez led off with a walk. With one out, Eibner doubled to left center, sending Perez to third. An RBI groundout by Escobar scored Perez. Back-to-back RBI doubles by Cuthbert and Whit Merrifield produced the additional runs.
Volquez was dominant early. He retired the first 11 batters he faced before Robinson Cano rolled a single down the third-base line. But Nelson Cruz followed with a single to left and Seager crushed a 427-foot home run to dead center to tie the score 3-3.
The home run extended Seager's hitting streak to 12 games.
Cruz doubled in the sixth, giving him 40 extra-base hits this season. Seattle joined Boston as the only American League team with three players (Cano and Seager) with at least 40 extra-base hits.
NOTES: Seattle INF Dae-Ho Lee was back in the lineup as the designated hitter after missing Friday's game with a sore hand. ... Friday's 3-2 loss marked just the second one-run loss at home this season for Kansas City. The Royals were 11-2 in one-run games at Kauffman Stadium heading into Saturday's action. ... No hitter on the Royals entered Saturday's game with more than a two-game hitting streak. Three Mariners (Kyle Seager, 11; Robinson Cano, 7; and Dae-Ho Lee, 7) had streaks of at least seven games. ... Seattle manager Scott Servais said closer Steve Cishek would be available if needed, even though he closed games the last two nights. Cishek took the loss Thursday when he gave up a two-run double to Salvador Perez in the ninth. He picked up his 21st save on Friday. ... Kansas City manager Ned Yost said his starter Sunday will be Dillon Gee. The spot in the rotation was formerly held by Chris Young.