Jason Vargas experienced his worst start of the season, giving up eight runs, seven earned, in seven innings of work.
It was an up-and-down game for him. All eight of the runs came in just two innings, while Vargas was nigh perfect in the other five, surrendering no hits and walking two in them.
The Mariners' only scoring came in the fourth inning off a Mike Sweeney home run and a Jack Wilson sacrifice fly. This was despite 12 hits on the game, three more than the Royals managed.
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Vargas' troubles started early as he gave up five hits and five runs, each being more than half the Royals' totals for the game. The first two runs came off a two-run homer, followed by two doubles to score three more runs.
Royals starting pitcher Bruce Chen earned his first win since 2005, having endured 12-straight losses as a starter.
Adrien Beltre led the way offensively with his best hitting performance since returning from injury. He finished the game going 4-for-4 with one run scored.
The Mariners (56-52) return home now for a 10-game homestand against the Rays, the White Sox and the Yankees.
Reach Jeff Richards at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
