LDN - Sports

Montgomery, Mariners too strong for Royals

[July 11, 2016] KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Mike Montgomery's words said it was just another game. His smile betrayed him.

Montgomery pitched 6 1/3 strong innings in the Seattle Mariners' 8-5 victory over the Royals on Sunday at Kauffman Stadium. Montgomery, who was Kansas City's first-round draft pick in 2008, allowed one run on five hits with no walks and three strikeouts.

The left-hander only wanted to talk about the team win.

"It's really for the team," he said. "I was just trying to have fun with it. I felt confident in my stuff, so I just attacked."

Montgomery (3-3) threw 74 pitches, 51 of them for strikes. He played in Kansas City's minor league system with several current Royals, including Salvador Perez, Eric Hosmer and Jarrod Dyson.

Montgomery has allowed one run in 16 1/3 innings against Kansas City in his career, including a shutout in 2015 in his first appearance vs. his former organization. He wouldn't allow himself to take extra satisfaction in beating the team that traded him away prior to the 2013 season.

"During the game, my mindset was just another game," he said with a sheepish grin on his face. "It's great facing the Royals, the first time pitching here. It's definitely special to be able to do it against your former team. At the same time, our team needed a win going into the (All-Star) break."

Montgomery was working on a shutout until he gave up a solo home run to Brett Eibner with one out in the seventh. It was the final batter he faced.

"I was trying find the border of going all-out every pitch and having to go deep into the game," Montgomery said. "I felt like I was able to find that. I definitely ran out of gas at the end."

Kansas City manager Ned Yost was impressed with Montgomery.

"We were looking at his stuff (before the game)," Yost said. "I don't know if anybody's gotten a hit off his curveball in over a month. Good downhill action on his fastball, mixing enough change. He's starting to figure out how to be successful."

With the victory, the Mariners (45-44) hit the All-Star break with a winning record for only the second time since 2010.

"Guys were grinding," Seattle manager Scott Servais said. "We definitely wanted to go to the break above .500. It was an important game for us today."

Nothing was more important for Servais than the start by Montgomery, the first of the season for the big lefty, who had made 30 relief appearances.

"It was way better than I was expecting," Servais said. "Really great effort today. He used all his pitches.

"He wants to get back in the rotation. We talked about it. He's been good as a reliever but really stepped up and did a nice job."

Dillon Gee (3-3) took the loss for Kansas City (45-43), giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits in 3 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out three. It was Gee's first start since May 31, as he tries to claim the fifth-starter position from an ineffective Chris Young.

Seattle got to Gee early, but the pitcher hurt his own cause. He was ahead in the count on five of the six batters he faced in the first yet allowed two runs in that frame.

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Mariners pitcher Mike Montgomery (37) delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Ketel Marte hit a leadoff single. After Seth Smith grounded into a fielder's choice, Robinson Cano grounded back to Gee. The pitcher threw the ball into center field, sending Smith to third. Gee then hit Nelson Cruz with a pitch before giving up a two-run single to Kyle Seager, who extended his hitting streak to 13 games.

"I kinda got caught in," Gee said of his error. "It was right when the umpire was making his way into position, and I tried to slow up a little bit. It sailed on me, just a costly mistake."

Gee wound up permitting three runs (two earned) on five hits in 3 2/3 innings.

Kansas City didn't mount much of a charge against Montgomery. Alex Gordon led off the third inning with a double off the center field wall, but Marte made a spectacular play on Alcides Escobar's grounder to the shortstop's right, keeping Gordon at second and nailing Escobar at first. Montgomery got out of the inning without any damage.

"I thought the backhand play in the hole on the ball Escobar hit was fantastic," Servais said. "That's as good as it gets."

Seattle grabbed an additional run in the fourth and their final tallies off Brooks Pounders in the seventh when Cano belted a two-run home run and Adam Lind connected on a three-run blast. It was the 21st blast of the season for Cano, who will compete in the All-Star Game Home Run Derby on Monday. He had 21 home runs all of last season.

The Royals threatened in the eighth, scoring three runs off the Seattle bullpen, but the tying run never came to the plate. Gordon hit a ninth-inning home run off Mariners closer Steve Cishek.

NOTES: Kansas City manager Ned Yost shook up his lineup. He had 1B Eric Hosmer on the bench, with usual DH Kendrys Morales playing first base. Salvador Perez was the designated hitter, and he hit second for the first time in his career. He went 2-for-5. Drew Butera caught. OF Brett Eibner will hit cleanup, the first time he has hit higher than seventh in his short major league career, and he went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs. ... SS Ketel Marte, LF Seth Smith, DH Robinson Cano, 3B Kyle Seager and CF Leonys Martin each had two hits for Seattle.

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