Montgomery, Mariners too strong for Royals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Mike Montgomery picked up his second career win against the Kansas City Royals with 6 1/3 strong innings in the Seattle Mariners' 8-5 victory Sunday at Kauffman Stadium.
Montgomery (3-3), who was Kansas City's first-round draft pick in 2008, threw 74 pitches, 51 of them for strikes.
Montgomery backed up his first career win against the Royals - a shutout in 2015 - with his third stingy outing. He gave up a solo home run to Brett Eibner with one out in the seventh, the first earned run he's allowed against Kansas City in his career (16 1/3 innings).
Montgomery finished with one run on five hits with no walks and three strikeouts. He played in Kansas City's minor-league system with several current Royals, including Salvador Perez, Eric Hosmer and Jarrod Dyson.
With the victory, the Mariners (45-44) finished the first half of the season with a winning record for only the second time since 2010.
Dillon Gee (3-3) picked up the loss for Kansas City (45-43), giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits in 3 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out three. It was Gee's first start since May 31, as he tries to claim the fifth-starter position from an ineffective Chris Young.
Seattle got to Gee early, but the pitcher hurt his own cause. He was ahead in the count on five of the six batters he faced, but gave up a lead-off single to Ketel Marte. After Seth Smith grounded into a fielder's choice, Robinson Cano grounded back to Gee. Gee threw the ball into center field, sending Smith to third. He then hit Nelson Cruz before giving up a two-run single to Kyle Seager, who extended his hitting streak to 13 games.
Kansas City didn't mount much of a charge against Montgomery. Alex Gordon led off the third inning with a double off the center-field wall, but Marte made a spectacular play on Alcides Escobar's grounder to the shortstop's right, keeping Gordon at second and nailing Escobar at first. Montgomery got out of the inning without any damage.
Seattle grabbed an additional run in the fourth. Leonys Martin reached with a two-out single and moved to third on a hit-and-run single by Shawn O'Malley. Gee came out of the game and Marte greeted reliever Brian Flynn with an RBI bunt single.
The Mariners got their final tallies off Brooks Pounders in the seventh when Cano belted a two-run home run and Adam Lind connected on a three-run blast. It was the 21st blast of the season for Cano, who will compete in the All-Star Game Home Run Derby Monday. He had 21 home runs all of last season.
The Royals threatened in the eighth, scoring three runs off the Seattle bullpen, but the tying run never came to the plate. Gordon's ninth-inning home run gave the Royals their final run.
NOTES: Kansas City manager Ned Yost shook up his lineup for Sunday's game. He had 1B Eric Hosmer on the bench to start, with usual DH Kendrys Morales playing first base. Salvador Perez will DH and hit second for the first time in his career. Drew Butera will catch. OF Brett Eibner will hit cleanup, the first time he has hit higher than seventh in his short major league career. ... Seattle LHP Mike Montgomery made his first start of the season after 30 appearances out of the bullpen. Manager Scott Servais said prior to the game that it won't be a long outing. "I think we've got to be smart and judge him inning by inning. You can put a lot into (pitch counts), but I think it's more how the hitters are reacting. It could be a little bit shorter leash because we have a full bullpen with some days of rest behind it."