Seattle ? Joe Blanton pitched six-plus innings of two-hit ball, Alcides Escobar had three hits and the Kansas City Royals beat the Seattle Mariners 4-1 on Monday night.

Blanton (2-0) struck out seven and worked into the seventh inning before being lifted after allowing a leadoff double.

Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland all pitched one inning of relief. Holland earned his 14th save in 15 opportunities.

Felix Hernandez (10-4) took the loss after allowing four runs, nine hits and a walk in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out five.

Escobar had three singles, drove in a run and scored a run. Mike Moustakas had two hits including an RBI double.

The Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a home run by Robinson Cano. Blanton retired the next 16 batters before Austin Jackson doubled to lead off the seventh.

Herrera replaced Blanton and promptly moved Jackson to third with a wild pitch, but retired the next three batters to escape the jam.

Alex Rios tied the game at 1 with a run-scoring single in the second. Rios advanced to second on the throw to the plate and Omar Infante followed with a double off the wall in right to score Rios.

Moustakas doubled in the third to score Escobar and give the Royals a 3-1 lead.

Escobar drove in Jarrod Dyson with a single in the seventh. Dyson singled and stole second with two outs to get into scoring position.

The Mariners, who struck out 13 times, had two hits in a game for the fourth time this season.

Seattle right fielder Nelson Cruz left the game in the seventh inning with a tight right hamstring.

UP NEXT

Mariners: Rookie LHP Mike Montgomery takes the mound against the Royals, the team that drafted him 36th overall in the 2008 draft.

Royals: RHP Jeremy Guthrie attempts to solve a Mariners team that has proved to be trouble for the veteran in his career. He is 2-7 with a 5.40 ERA lifetime against Seattle.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners: LHP James Paxton still is not cleared to begin throwing, manager Lloyd McClendon said. Paxton is dealing with a strained tendon in the middle finger of his throwing hand.

Royals: Danny Duffy is still scheduled to come off the DL on Wednesday and start the series finale at Seattle. Duffy, who has been recovering from an inflamed left shoulder, takes Yordano Ventura’s spot in the rotation. Ventura went on the DL with irritation in the ulnar nerve of his right elbow.