Ty France had his first career five-hit game, including a home run, to lead the host Seattle Mariners to a 13-7 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.
The Mariners have won the first two games of the series.
Jake Brentz (0-3) walked the first four batters of the eighth inning, with Julio Rodriguez’s walk pushing across the go-ahead run. After Brentz notched a strikeout, Jesse Winker’s two-run double broke open the game. France then hit a three-run homer to cap a six-run inning.
Diego Castillo (1-0) earned the win.
Royals catcher Salvador Perez was hit on the hand by a pitch in the seventh inning and came out of the game.
The Royals’ bullpen saw their scoreless-inning streak snapped at 27 1/3 innings in the sixth. The streak began April 14.
Nicky Lopez led off the first for Kansas City with a walk and Whit Merrifield followed with a double. Andrew Benintendi’s RBI groundout scored Lopez.
France singled up the middle with one out in the bottom of the first. J.P. Crawford followed with a two-run homer.
The Mariners added two more runs in the second. Jarred Kelenic stroked a one-out single, scoring Tom Murphy. Kelenic scored one a two-out single by France.
Back-to-back doubles by Eugenio Suarez and Abraham Toro leading off the third gave the Mariners their fifth run and ended the night for Royals starter Kris Bubic.
In the fifth, Benintendi and Perez stroked one-out singles, chasing Seattle starter Matt Brash. Reliever Matthew Festa walked Santana to load the bases. Dozier hit an infield single, scoring Benintendi. A throwing error allowed Perez to score. Bobby Witt Jr. then drove in Santana with a single.
Suarez hit a one-out double in the sixth to put the Mariners up 6-4.
After Perez was hit leading off the seventh, Santana homered on the next pitch, tying the game at 6-6. Dozier followed with a double, and he scored on pinch-hitter Edward Olivares’ double.
France’s fourth hit, a two-out single on an 0-2 pitch, scored Rodriguez with the tying run in the seventh.
–Field Level Media