SEATTLE -- Jason Vargas was an old, though certainly not ancient, Mariner and he certainly looked right at home on the Safeco Field mound.After all, Vargas had spent four years pitching for the Seattle club, and this was his 62nd appearance at the ballpark. For seven shutout innings Friday night, he looked like he owned the place, and the Mariners, as he pitched the Royals to a 6-1 victory.The Royals peppered Mariners starter Brandon Maurer for 14 hits, all singles, before he was excused in the eighth inning. 
Vargas didn't give up a hit until Mike Zunino, with one out in the third inning, got a single on a sharp grounder that shortstop Alcides Escobar dove to stop, but couldn't capture.Then Vargas retired seven more batters before the Mariners came up with another hit, Dustin Ackley's single to center with two outs in the fifth. Robinson Cano opened the seventh with a single and Vargas plunked Corey Hart before retiring the side.That was it -- just three hits against Vargas, no walks and one hit batter, and six strikeouts as he improved his record to 3-1.By contrast, Maurer had problems from the get-go. Nori Aoki and Eric Hosmer began the game with back-to-back singles. Billy Butler's grounder to third baseman Willie Bloomquist looked like double-play material but the throw to second base was wide and umpire Jeff Nelson ruled that Cano was off the bag when he caught the ball.Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon challenged and an instant replay overturned the call. So there was a forceout at second, Aoki scored and Butler got an RBI.The run snapped a string of 27 scoreless innings that the Royals had endured at Safeco since last September.The Royals added a run in the third when Escobar singled, swiped second for his 11th steal, was bunted to third by Aoki and scored on Hosmer's sacrifice fly.The runs kept coming. Salvador Perez and Alex Gordon each singled to open the fourth and both scored. Butler led off the sixth with a single and got around the bases for a 5-0 lead.When singles by Perez, Gordon and Lorenzo Cain produced a sixth run in the eighth, Maurer was finally given relief by left-hander Charlie Furbush.The Mariners finally got a run against reliever Aaron Crow in the eighth. Brad Miller walked and pinch-hitter James Jones hit a double into the right-field corner. When Aoki's throw went awry, Miller scored on the error.Dick Kaegel / MLB.com
Vargas didn't give up a hit until Mike Zunino, with one out in the third inning, got a single on a sharp grounder that shortstop Alcides Escobar dove to stop, but couldn't capture.Then Vargas retired seven more batters before the Mariners came up with another hit, Dustin Ackley's single to center with two outs in the fifth. Robinson Cano opened the seventh with a single and Vargas plunked Corey Hart before retiring the side.That was it -- just three hits against Vargas, no walks and one hit batter, and six strikeouts as he improved his record to 3-1.By contrast, Maurer had problems from the get-go. Nori Aoki and Eric Hosmer began the game with back-to-back singles. Billy Butler's grounder to third baseman Willie Bloomquist looked like double-play material but the throw to second base was wide and umpire Jeff Nelson ruled that Cano was off the bag when he caught the ball.Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon challenged and an instant replay overturned the call. So there was a forceout at second, Aoki scored and Butler got an RBI.The run snapped a string of 27 scoreless innings that the Royals had endured at Safeco since last September.The Royals added a run in the third when Escobar singled, swiped second for his 11th steal, was bunted to third by Aoki and scored on Hosmer's sacrifice fly.The runs kept coming. Salvador Perez and Alex Gordon each singled to open the fourth and both scored. Butler led off the sixth with a single and got around the bases for a 5-0 lead.When singles by Perez, Gordon and Lorenzo Cain produced a sixth run in the eighth, Maurer was finally given relief by left-hander Charlie Furbush.The Mariners finally got a run against reliever Aaron Crow in the eighth. Brad Miller walked and pinch-hitter James Jones hit a double into the right-field corner. When Aoki's throw went awry, Miller scored on the error.Dick Kaegel / MLB.com
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