Mariners 6, Royals 0
SEATTLE -- Left fielder Dustin Ackley had three hits, including a two-run homer in the fifth, and Seattle starter Mike Montgomery overcame some early struggles to pitch a complete-game shutout as the Mariners beat the Kansas City Royals 6-0 on Tuesday night.
Ackley's fifth-inning homer gave Seattle a 6-0 lead, and by that time, Montgomery had found his groove.
The 25-year-old former Royals farmhand, who was making his fifth career start, allowed just four hits over nine innings for his first complete game. Montgomery (2-2) gave up three hits in the first two innings but didn't allow another baserunner until Royals catcher Salvador Perez reached on an error with two outs in the seventh.
Kansas City (40-28) was shut out for the first time since June 12 and for only the fifth time all season.
Montgomery, who spent time in the Kansas City and Tampa Bay organizations before making his major-league debut seven weeks ago, has held opponents to two runs or fewer in four of his five starts and now has a 2.04 ERA.
Ackley went 3-for-4 with a single, a double, a home run and the two RBIs. He would have had a third RBI, but Ackley's second-inning double bounced over the fence in right-center field, causing baserunner Kyle Seager to go back to third base.
Seattle first baseman Logan Morrison added a solo home run, his ninth homer of the season, off reliever Michael Mariot in the eighth.
Second baseman Robinson Cano and left fielder Seth Smith each had two hits for the Mariners (33-39).
Seattle piled up six hits over the fourth and fifth innings, with Ackley delivering the big blow, a two-run homer in the fifth that gave the Mariners a 6-0 lead.
After Kansas City starter Jeremy Guthrie began to lose his command, the Mariners scored three fourth-inning runs on a bases-loaded walk, catcher Mike Zunino's RBI single and first baseman Logan Morrison's RBI on a groundout. Seattle's fourth inning included three singles and two walks.
Right fielder Seth Smith added a two-out RBI single in the fifth, and he came home on Ackley's home run to right-center. It was Ackley's third hit of the game, making him 9-for-13 with four doubles and three home runs off Guthrie in his career.
Guthrie came out after the fifth inning, having allowed nine hits and six runs. His season ERA swelled to 5.90.
NOTES: Seattle OF/DH Nelson Cruz was back in the lineup Tuesday after exiting Monday's game with a displaced pelvic bone that had to be popped back into place. As a precaution, the Mariners did not have Cruz playing in the field Tuesday night. ... Kansas City LHP Danny Duffy is scheduled to start Wednesday's series finale, his first start since May 16. He has been on the disabled list due to left biceps tendinitis. The Royals will have to make a roster move to clear a spot for Duffy before Wednesday's game. ... The Royals took a lot of criticism for their antics during a pair of bench-clearing incidents over the first 2 1/2 weeks of the season, but Kansas City has not had a player, manager or coach ejected since April 23. Between April 18 and April 23, the Royals had nine ejections. ... Seattle LF Dustin Ackley got his first start in the outfield since June 14.