Seattle, WA – The 2012 Kansas City Royals season that had so much promise found yet another low on Sunday.
After Kansas City scored three runs to tie the game in the eighth inning, Royals pitcher Jose Mijares gave up the winning run on a throwing error to give the Mariners a 7-6 win and a four-game sweep.
Mike Carp picked up three hits, including a double, which led to the go-ahead run in the eighth, as the Mariners won for the 10th time in their last 14 games.
Felix Hernandez was in line to win his sixth straight decision after allowing two runs on five hits in seven innings while striking out six.
"Guys had some good at bats off Felix today," Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer said. "We came back fighting at the end, just fell short again. It's tough right now, guys are battling real hard, doing everything we can to get something going here."
Will Smith tossed a quality start for Kansas City and was let off the hook for the loss. He gave up three runs on seven hits in six innings while fanning four and walking none, but the Royals' late blunder sent them to their seventh loss in eight games.
The Royals rallied for three runs to tie the game in the top of the eighth after Alcides Escobar singled, stole second and scored on Billy Butler's base hit. Salvador Perez picked up a base hit and he and Butler moved to second and third on Oliver Perez's (1-2) wild pitch. Hosmer tied the game with a ground ball that got through the left side.
Carp started the bottom half of the frame with a fly ball off the left-field wall. Trayvon Robinson dropped down a perfect sacrifice, which Mijares fired wide of first base, allowing pinch-runner Munenori Kawasaki to score.
Robinson reached third on a sacrifice and scored when Casper Wells grounded a base hit past third baseman Yuniesky Betancourt.
Tom Wilhelmsen walked Jarrod Dyson, who later came around to score, but stranded the tying run at second base to pick up his 14th save in 15 chances.
The Mariners jumped out to a lead in the second inning when Kyle Seager singled, stole second and scored on a Carp double.
Escobar knocked in Dyson to tie the game in the third after Dyson singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch.
Seattle re-took the lead in the fourth. Seager and Carp singled before Robinson lined a double into the left-field corner to plate Seager. Brendan Ryan lofted a sacrifice fly to center field to score Carp and give Seattle a 3-1 lead.
"Anytime they score you want to look to come back right away, don't want to let a little momentum go," Seager said. "We've done a good job this series of scoring early and then trying to match them when they score."
Kansas City picked up a run in the fifth after Chris Getz singled and Dyson walked to start the frame. Hernandez allowed a run to score but sat down the next nine hitters to hold the lead.
Seattle extended its lead in the seventh inning when Seager lined a two-run single to right field.
Game Notes
Kansas City is 6-21 in its last 27 games...The sweep marks the first time Seattle has completed a four-game sweep against Kansas City at home in club history. It was also the M's first home four-game sweep since 2001...Seager leads the major leagues with 36 two-out RBI.
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