Mariners 5, Red Sox 0
SEATTLE -- Seattle Mariners starter James Paxton extended his scoreless innings streak to 20 on Sunday, leading the Mariners to a 5-0 win over the Boston Red Sox.
Seattle (17-20) salvaged a split in the four-game series.
Paxton pitched eight more scoreless innings, allowing just five hits and two walks while striking out two, to win his second consecutive start. His streak of 20 innings without allowing a run ties former Mariner Erik Bedard for the longest in franchise history by a left-handed starter.
Mariners shortstop Brad Miller hit his third home run in a span of two games with a solo shot in the bottom of the fifth. That home run, Miller's fifth of the season after he hit two on Saturday night, gave Seattle a 3-0 lead. Third baseman Kyle Seager added a two-run shot in the eighth.
With star slugger David Ortiz taking his fourth day off of the season, the Red Sox could not find much offense. Boston (18-20) managed just five hits -- only two of which made it to the outfield -- and got only one runner in scoring position over the first six innings.
Paxton (2-2) allowed just three hits over the first six innings, with two of them never getting out of the infield. Boston had just one runner in scoring position during that span before finally threatening in the seventh.
Another infield hit, a two-out grounder to first that saw shortstop Xander Bogaerts beat Mariners first baseman Logan Morrison to the bag, was followed by left fielder Brock Holt's double to put runners on second and third. Seattle pitching coach Rick Waits came to the mound to talk to Paxton, who then got out of the jam by inducing a Blake Swihart grounder on his next pitch.
Paxton, who has not allowed a run since the second inning of a May 2 start at Los Angeles, returned for the eighth and barely escaped a leadoff homer when Red Sox center fielder Mookie Betts' towering fly ball drifted just outside the left-field foul pole. The play was close enough that Boston manager John Farrell challenged for a replay, which confirmed the foul ball before Betts lined out to shortstop. Paxton ended up pitching a 1-2-3 eighth before leaving the game after 105 pitches.
Reliever Carson Smith pitched a scoreless ninth in a non-save situation.
Boston starter Steven Wright, who was called up from Triple-A to make his third start of the season, filled in admirably for injured right-hander Justin Masterson. Wright (1-1) allowed five hits and three runs, two of them earned, over five innings.
A passed ball and a two-out, RBI single from catcher Mike Zunino gave the Mariners a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Miller's one-out solo homer put Seattle ahead 3-0 in the fifth, then Seager welcomed reliever Craig Breslow to the game by hitting the lefty's first pitch into the right-field seats for a two-run homer in the eighth.
Seager and right fielder Justin Ruggiano each had two hits for the Mariners, while Holt had two of Boston's five hits.
The Red Sox had to settle for a series split and have won just one of their five series played this month.
NOTES: Boston put out its probable starters for the upcoming series against Texas, with LHP Wade Miley getting the Tuesday start after the team takes Monday off. RHPs Joe Kelly (Wednesday) and Clay Buchholz (Thursday) fill out the series probables. ... Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said before Sunday's game that he does not expect RHP Felix Hernandez to be affected by the ankle injury he suffered Saturday night. Hernandez appeared to twist his left ankle during the sixth inning on Saturday but stayed in the game and has no structural damage. ... Mariners LHP James Paxton entered Sunday's game with a 12-inning scoreless streak. ... Seattle SS Brad Miller went into Sunday with a .375 batting average at home. In road games, he's hitting .095 (2-for-21). He was 1-for-4 on Sunday ... The Red Sox are 10-15 against the American League East but have an 8-5 record against everyone else.