KANSAS CITY — When Nick Mears came jogging in from the Royals bullpen to start the seventh inning, you could almost hear a collective sigh coming from the Mariners dugout.
It’s not as if the small crowd Friday night at Kauffman Stadium provided enough noise to drown out such exhortations.
Why the sense of relief?
Well, after getting shut down for six innings by lefty Noah Cameron, who struck out eight batters to match a career high, the chance to face a right-handed pitcher offered hope of something better.
The adjustment was immediate.
Cole Young worked a leadoff walk and Mitch Garver crushed a 1-0 sinker over the visitors’ bullpen in left field for what would be decisive hit in a 2-0 win for the Mariners.
The Mariners got a strong pitching performance from starter Logan Gilbert and relievers Eduard Bazardo, Matt Brash and Andres Muñoz, who combined to hold the Royals scoreless in a game for the fourth time this season. It was the Mariners’ second combined shutout of the season.
Gilbert delivered a solid outing for Seattle despite falling an out short of a “quality start” of six-plus innings pitched and three runs or fewer allowed.
He held the Royals scoreless through five innings and looked dominant, allowing just two base runners — a first-inning single and a third-inning walk.
It seemed like he would get through six, having thrown only 71 pitches going into the inning and retiring 13 of the last 14 batters he faced.
After getting a quick out to start the inning, he lost a seven-pitch battle with leadoff hitter Maikel Garcia, giving up a single to right. Gilbert retired Bobby Witt Jr. on a fly out to left field on another seven-pitch battle. But a seven-pitch walk to Vinnie Pasquantino ended his outing.
Wilson called on Eduard Bazardo to face veteran slugger Salvador Perez. Bazardo continued the Royals miseries with runners in scoring position, getting Perez to ground into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.
Gilbert’s final line: 5⅔ innings scoreless pitched, two singles allowed with two walks and six strikeouts.
Bazardo returned for the seventh and dominated, striking out the side. Brash worked around a few base runners in the eighth while Muñoz worked a drama-free ninth for his ninth save this season.
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