KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Mariners’ offense showed up too late.
After getting one hit in the first seven innings, the Mariners scored four runs on four hits and four walks in the final two innings off three relievers, but fell short and lost 6-5 to the Royals on a cold, rainy Friday night.
“There’s a lot of fight in these guys,” Mariners manager Eric Wedge said. “ We’ve still got to do a much better job with our at-bats. We’re in a stretch right now, with our hitting, where it seems like every time we hit a ball hard, it’s at somebody, or if we hit a ground ball it’s at somebody.
“We’re not finding too many holes right now. But, we can’t put our heads down. We have to fight through it. We can’t get caught up in what happened last year or what happened yesterday. We have to focus on today.”
The Mariners have lost 10 of 12 games and are hitting .214 with 32 extra-base hits in 14 games.
Eric Bedard (0-3), who has had three shoulder operations in the past three years and did not pitch last year, lasted 4 2/3 innings. He gave up five runs and seven hits. He struck out six and walked three.
He gave up home runs to Jeff Francoeur and Matt Treanor and has surrendered six home runs in 13 2/3 innings in three starts and has an 8.56 ERA.
“Erik’s a work in progress,” Wedge said. “I’m pleased with the way he threw the ball. We have to look at it as small steps and that fifth inning was a positive for him.”
Ichiro Suzuki had an RBI single in the eighth, giving him a record 10 consecutive multihit games at Kauffman Stadium. Royals Hall of Famer George Brett held the record with nine straight multi-hit games at Kaufman Stadium in May of 1979.
“This is not a bad ballpark and not an especially good ballpark,” Suzuki said through an interpreter. “It’s just normal. A standard park, just like the other parks we play in. I don’t feel any different here.”
Francoeur, who went 3-for-4, homered in the third after Billy Butler doubled. His infield single in the first scored Chris Getz, who led off the inning with a walk
.
Treanor led off the fourth with a home run, giving the Royals a 4-1 lead.
The Royals added a run in the fifth when Mike Aviles doubled. Butler, who also had three hits, singled in the sixth for the final Kansas City run.
After rookie left-hander Tim Collins walked the first two Mariners in the ninth, Joakim Soria came in and got his fourth save in five opportunities, but not before allowing three runs, including walking pinch-hitter Justin Smoak with the bases loaded.
Notes
Mariners infielder Jack Wilson, who is in a 0-for-13 skid, was held out of the lineup. Luis Rodriguez replaced Wilson at second place. … OF Mitch Maier started his first game of the season when manager Ned Yost gave LF Alex Gordon a rest. Maier has five plate appearances this season and has yet to put the ball in play — three strikeouts and two walks. … Mariners C Miguel Olivo went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, extending his hitless streak to 20 at-bats with 11 strikeouts.
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