SEATTLE — Salvador Perez hit a two-run homer in the 10th, Alex Gordon added a two-out RBI single later in the inning and the Kansas City Royals completed a three-game sweep with a 9-6 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.
Perez drove the second pitch from reliever James Pazos (2-2) out to right field for his 17th homer of the season. It was the third home run of the game for Kansas City, adding to earlier two-run shots by Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain.
Mike Minor (5-1) pitched the ninth to get the victory and Kelvin Herrera threw the 10th for his 19th save. Minor had a scare when Mike Zunino led off the ninth with a flyball to deep left field that Gordon caught one step in front of the wall.
Kansas City won for the sixth time in seven games and handed Seattle its seventh straight loss at home.
Nelson Cruz, Jean Segura and Zunino all homered off ason Vargas for Seattle, but the Mariners were held scoreless for the final seven innings after Cruz’s homer leading off the third.
Headed to the All-Star Game for the first time, Vargas had his worst performance of the season against one of his former teams. He matched a season high by allowing six earned runs, and the three home runs equaled the number Vargas had allowed in his previous six starts combined.
Vargas was headed toward his first loss since May 22 until Cain’s two-out, two-run homer in the fifth inning tied it at 6-all. Cain hit a 3-2 fastball from starter Ariel Miranda off the out-of-town scoreboard for his 11th homer of the season.
Miranda didn’t look like he would make it out of the first inning after allowing a two-run double to Eric Hosmer and the two-run shot to Moustakas. It was the third straight game and sixth time in eight games Moustakas has homered. Miranda quickly settled down, retiring 10 of 11 before a leadoff walk to Gordon opening the fifth. Three batters later, Miranda missed with his 3-2 pitch to Cain and lost out on his chance at an eighth win before the All-Star break.
Cruz hit the 299th home run of his career despite a sore knee that turned his home run trot into glorified speed walking. It was his first long ball since June 4, snapping a string of 87 at-bats without going deep. Cruz also had an RBI groundout in the first inning.
ROTATION ADJUSTMENT
The Royals will skip Travis Wood’s turn in the rotation and have Danny Duffy start on Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the final game before the All-Star break. Duffy will be opposed by Clayton Kershaw.
SLUMPING SEAGER
Seattle 3B Kyle Seager got a rare day off on Wednesday. Seager had started every game since April 27, but in the past 17 games was batting .200 and was hitless in his last 14 at-bats.
UP NEXT
Royals: After an off day, the Royals will open a three-game series against the Dodgers on Friday. Jason Hammel (4-7) will start the opener.
Mariners: Seattle opens a four-game series against division foe Oakland on Thursday. Sam Gaviglio (3-3) starts the opener.
