KANSAS CITY (Interstat) — Logan Gilbert allowed two hits over 5 2/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts, and Mitch Garver hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning to give the Seattle Mariners a 2-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday at Kauffman Stadium. Eduard Bazardo (3-2) earned the win with 1 1/3 hitless innings, striking out three. Andrés Muñoz pitched a perfect ninth for his ninth save. Garver’s homer, scoring Cole Young, was the only scoring. Noah Cameron pitched six scoreless innings for Kansas City, allowing four hits and striking out eight. Nick Mears (2-3) took the loss. Seattle outhit Kansas City 5-4. The Mariners improved to 25-27; the Royals fell to 20-31. Attendance was 18,842, and the game lasted 2 hours, 40 minutes. Matt Brash struck out one in a scoreless eighth despite allowing two hits. Alex Lange and Eli Morgan each pitched a scoreless inning for Kansas City. The Mariners scored both runs in the seventh.

KANSAS CITY (Interstat) — Mitch Garver hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning, and Eduard Bazardo pitched two scoreless innings of relief as the Seattle Mariners shut out the Kansas City Royals 2-0 on Friday night at Kauffman Stadium in front of 18,842 fans. The game was a pitchers’ duel for six innings, with both starters effectively neutralizing opposing lineups. Seattle starter Logan Gilbert worked six innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out six. Kansas City starter Noah Cameron matched him, throwing six innings of four-hit ball with no runs allowed and eight strikeouts. Seattle broke through in the seventh against Royals reliever Nick Mears. Cole Young drew a leadoff walk, and Garver followed by launching a fly ball over the left-field fence for his second home run of the season, scoring Young and giving the Mariners a 2-0 lead. Bazardo entered in the seventh and retired the side in order, striking out two. He worked a perfect eighth as well, striking out one more. Andrés Muñoz pitched a perfect ninth for his ninth save of the season. The Royals threatened in the sixth, putting two runners on with a single by Maikel Garcia and a walk to Vinnie Pasquantino, but Salvador Perez grounded into a force out to end the inning. In the eighth, Kansas City again had two on after singles by Michael Massey and Garcia, but Bobby Witt Jr. lined out and Pasquantino lined out sharply to right field to end the inning. Seattle managed five hits, led by Julio Rodríguez who doubled and singled. Garver’s homer was the only extra-base hit for the Mariners. Kansas City had four hits, with Pasquantino and Massey each going 1-for-3. Garcia also singled twice. The Royals went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded six base runners. Their offense has struggled recently, scoring three runs or fewer in four of their last five games. The loss dropped Kansas City to 20-31 on the season. Seattle improved to 25-27, snapping a two-game losing streak after dropping a series to the Chicago White Sox at home earlier in the week. The Mariners had lost three straight before Friday. The game lasted 2 hours, 40 minutes. The series continues Saturday with the same teams at Kauffman Stadium. Seattle will send left-hander to the mound against a Royals right-hander. After this three-game set, the Mariners travel to Oakland for a three-game series beginning Monday, while the Royals return home to host the New York Yankees. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Seattle Mariners 4, Kansas City Royals 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Seattle with a 53.90 percent probability to win. Seattle had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 2 went over the over-under line of 8.

AP Sports Preview KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Interstat) — The Seattle Mariners and Kansas City Royals open a three-game series Friday night at Kauffman Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. under partly cloudy skies and a temperature of 64 degrees. Seattle (24-27) sends right-hander Logan Gilbert to the mound. Gilbert is 2-4 with a 4.32 ERA this season. The Mariners also listed left-hander Noah Cameron as a probable pitcher, but Gilbert is expected to start. Cameron is 2-3 with a 3.98 ERA. Kansas City (20-30) counters with right-hander Michael Wacha, who is 4-5 with a 3.12 ERA. Wacha has been sharp in his past two starts, allowing one earned run in six innings in a loss to Boston on May 20 and three earned runs in six innings in a loss at St. Louis on May 15. The Royals have won three consecutive games against Seattle, sweeping a three-game series May 1-3 at T-Mobile Park by scores of 7-6, 3-2 and 4-1. Seattle is coming off a 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, snapping a four-game losing streak. Right-hander Emerson Hancock earned the win, allowing two earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts over five innings. Hancock has been a key contributor in the rotation and is a player to watch. In his past five starts, he is 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA, including a 14-strikeout performance against Kansas City on May 2. Kansas City lost 4-3 to Boston on Wednesday in 10 innings. Wacha took the no-decision despite allowing one earned run on six hits with eight strikeouts over six innings. Catcher Salvador Perez went 3-for-4 with a home run and an RBI, and catcher Elias Diaz hit a solo homer. The Royals have lost seven of their past eight games, including dropping four of five to Boston and two of three to St. Louis. Kansas City has scored three runs or fewer in four of its past five games. Seattle has won five of its past 10 games and is 12-14 on the road this season. The Mariners are 12-13 at home. The Interstat game simulator projects a 4-1 Seattle victory, with the Mariners holding a 53.9% probability to win. Seattle is a -1.5 run favorite. The over/under is 8 runs. Following the series, Seattle travels to for three games beginning May 25, then returns home for six games against Arizona and the New York Mets. Kansas City hosts the New York Yankees for three games starting May 25, then visits Texas for three games beginning May 29.