Seattle ? Michael Pineda is improving as his season is ending.

But the results are not.

The Seattle Mariners’ rookie right-hander worked a career-high eight innings, allowed three runs — all in the first inning — and five hits. He struck out eight and walked one but the Mariners were beaten 3-2 by the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.

Pineda (9-10) was outdueled by Royals right-hander Felipe Paulino, who struck out 11 and allowed two hits in seven innings.

Paulino (3-10) gave up homers to Justin Smoak and Mike Carp, but he tamed the rest of the Mariners. He tied his career high in strikeouts and walked none.

Pineda, who hasn’t won since July 30 and will be shut down after his next start, has never pitched this late in any professional season.

“To do that (eight innings) in the middle of September says a lot about his conditioning, his strength and how consistent he’s been,” Mariners manager Eric Wedge said.

Pineda, in his 27th career start, has had trouble all season in the first inning. He had a 6.00 earned run average in the inning, allowing six home runs.

He did again against the Royals, who scored three in the first, highlighted by Eric Hosmer’s two-run homer.

Jeff Francoeur added an insurance solo shot in the ninth.

“Pineda threw well. Unfortunately, that first-inning home run, and the three runs scored,” Carp said. “He threw as well as I’ve seen him in a while … we didn’t have any hits for him.”

Wedge said Paulino did a good job mixing his pitches

“We’re better than the number of strikeouts we had (16), and we put it in the umpires hands too much,” Wedge said.

Eight of the 16 strikeouts were called.

“We have to do a better job protecting the plate in those situations,” Wedge said, “even if it’s just a tad off or right on. We have to protect the plate better.”

Joakim Soria pitched the ninth for his 27th save in 34 opportunities.

The two hits allowed were a season low for the Royals. The combined 16 strikeouts were two short of the staff’s season high.

“He (Paulino) threw the ball extremely well,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “His stuff was electric. Pineda’s stuff was electric. If you’re going to get to him, you better get to him early because if he settles down you’re going to get what we got. And we did. We got to him early and hung on.”

The Royals rattled Pineda in the first. Alex Gordon opened with a double to right. Melky Cabrera moved him to third with a right-side groundout. Billy Butler, 0 for 16 in the series, still managed to bring Gordon home with a fielder’s choice grounder to first baseman Smoak, who threw home late.

“It was a bonehead play on my part,” Smoak said. “When it takes me to my right, I’ve just got to take the out at first. It was a mistake on my part. You don’t want to give them three runs like I did in the first inning. But we battled to the end and just fell short.”

Hosmer followed with a shot into the left-field bullpen.

Smoak got one back in the second, lining his 14th home run just over the right-field wall.

Two innings later, Carp connected on his ninth home run, a 419-foot drive into the left-field bullpen.

Miguel Olivo reached on a throwing error by third baseman Mike Moustakas in the fifth. Kyle Seager lined out to Cabrera in center, who threw to first before Olivo could hustle back for a double play.

It was the Royals’ major league-leading 49th outfield assist, the most in the majors since 2002 and four short of the club record.

In successive plays in the seventh, Francoeur climbed the right-field wall to snatch a potential extra-base hit from Carp, then Moustakas ran down a warning track shot by Smoak to deep center.

Carp made an outstanding diving catch in the eighth to rob Hosmer of extra bases.