(TSX / STATS) — KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Lorenzo Cain was looking the opposite way with two strikes and runners on the corners in the seventh inning.
It turned out to be the right way.
Cain and Melky Cabrera singled home runs in the decisive seventh as the Kansas City Royals downed the Seattle Mariners 6-4 on Thursday night.
“He dropped another slider in there and got me off balance,” Cain said of Mariners reliever Emilio Pagan. “He ended up throwing a fastball on the outside corner, and I was able to hit it the other way.”
The Royals scored only three runs in losing three straight at Baltimore before returning home for the opener against Seattle on Thursday.
“It was definitely a tough Baltimore trip to get swept by them,” Cain said. “We didn’t play well at all, in my opinion, but you’ve got to turn the page to the next series. It feels good to be back home and get off to a winning start.”
Brandon Moss belted a pair of home runs and drove in three for Kansas City, which is 4-0 versus Seattle this season.
“I was pretty sure something soft was coming whether it was a changeup or a curveball,” Moss said of his first home run, in the fifth inning off Yovani Gallardo. “I just tried to see something up and be on time with it. He left a curveball up. I put a better swing on it than I usually do on curveballs.”
Ryan Buchter (1-0), acquired from San Diego on July 24, picked up the victory with a one-pitch out to end the seventh.
Kelvin Herrera gave up a run in the ninth on Robinson Cano’s single but logged his 24th save.
Pagan (0-2) gave up the runs in the seventh, one of them unearned after an error by first baseman Danny Valencia. Cain’s hit broke a 3-3 tie, and Cabrera followed with his hit to make it 5-3.
“We know their game,” Pagan said. “We know they’re going to put the ball in play. I got in a good spot against Cain where if I could execute a pitch, put him away and have two outs. Just didn’t make a very good pitch tonight with my fastball, kind of left it a little too low. Going up is my bread and butter. Just didn’t get it up enough tonight.”
The Mariners used Kyle Seager and Valencia solo shots to seize an early 2-0 lead.
Seager homered with one out in the second on a Trevor Cahill 2-2 offering.
Valencia hit a disputed home run in the fourth down the right field line. The Royals requested a crew chief review, but after a 2-minute, 52-second delay, the call was upheld. Royals manager Ned Yost was so upset with the decision that he was ejected.
Cahill, who was making his second start with Kansas City since being acquired in the same trade with Buchter, was removed after 4 2/3 innings. He allowed two runs, six hits and two walks while striking out three.
The Royals tied it 2-2 in the fifth on Moss’ home run with Mike Moustakas aboard. Moss crushed a Gallardo 1-1 pitch 427 feet out to right.
Former Royal Jarrod Dyson had two singles, a stolen base and a sacrifice bunt — all in the first four innings.
The Mariners forged ahead in the sixth with a run off left-hander Mike Minor. Valencia led off the inning with a double to right, and Dyson bunted him to third. With the infield in, Guillermo Heredia pushed a ground-ball single to center, bringing home Valencia.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Royals drew back-to-back walks, ending Gallardo’s outing. Eric Hosmer grounded into a double player, and after an intentional walk, Moustakas hit with a game-tying single off Marc Rzepczynski.
In five-plus innings, Gallardo allowed three runs on three hits and three walks with one strikeout.
“We were in a pretty good spot,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “Gallardo was pretty good … outside of the home run … through five innings. … The back-to-back walks starting off the sixth inning is not a good thing.”
Moss added a solo shot in the eighth inning, giving him 14 home runs and 28 RBIs this season.
NOTES: Mariners CF Jarrod Dyson received a nice ovation in his first at-bat and tipped his cap to the crowd after playing the previous seven years in Kansas City. … Royals CF Lorenzo Cain started after sitting out the loss Wednesday in Baltimore with a hamstring issue. … The Mariners have been hit by an American League-leading 59 pitches. … Mariners LHP James Paxton (11-3, 2.68 ERA) and Royals RHP Jason Hammel (5-8, 4.75) are the Friday probables. … The Royals are 11-6 in Friday games, their best record for any day. … Kansas City is 45-11 when scoring at least four runs.
Photo credit – Charlie Riedel / Associated Press / Kansas City, MO