Bryan Woo's stellar start lifts Mariners over Royals

Bryan Woo allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings for his first victory of the season as the Seattle Mariners defeated the visiting Kansas City Royals 4-2 Wednesday afternoon.

Ty France homered for the American League West-leading Mariners, who took two of three games in the series.

Woo (1-0), a right-hander making just his second start after opening the season on the injured list with elbow inflammation, gave up three hits, walked one and struck out five.

Seattle's Andres Munoz recorded the final five outs for his seventh save of the season.

Munoz entered with runners at second and third and one out in the eighth with the Mariners leading 3-1.

Bobby Witt Jr. grounded out to second to score the second Kansas City run before Munoz struck out Vinnie Pasquantino on a 99.7-mph fastball.

The Mariners added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on a double by Mitch Haniger and a single by Luke Raley that plated pinch-runner Leo Rivas.

Munoz allowed a leadoff double by Salvador Perez in the ninth, and with one out Hunter Renfroe reached on a throwing error by third baseman Luis Urias. Munoz struck out MJ Melendez and Freddy Fermin to end the game.

Royals starter Alec Marsh (3-1) allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits over five innings. The right-hander walked one and fanned seven.

The Mariners opened the scoring with an unearned run in the second as third baseman Adam Frazier mishandled a grounder with two outs and the bases loaded.

France made it 2-0 with his one-out home run in the fourth, going deep into the Mariners' bullpen in left-center field.

The Royals got on the scoreboard in the sixth after Fermin lined a leadoff single to left, Kyle Isbel walked and Frazier singled to left to load the bases with no outs. Witt hit a sacrifice fly to center to end Woo's afternoon.

Left-hander Gabe Speier got Pasquantino to foul out to the catcher and fanned Perez to get out of the inning with the Mariners maintaining a 2-1 lead.

Seattle tacked on a run in the seventh as Dominic Canzone, activated from the injured list earlier in the day after being out since April 15 with a sprained left shoulder, led off with a ground-rule double down the left-field line off Tyler Duffey.

With two outs, Josh Rojas greeted reliever Angel Zerpa with a run-scoring single to left, making it 3-1.

-Field Level Media