A 3-for-5 plate performance by catcher Salvador Perez powered the Kansas City Royals to a 6-3 win over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, July 1 at T-Mobile Park.

The Royals led throughout the game, as Maikel Garcia made use of Jonathan India’s leadoff double by tacking on an RBI single. They would add two runs in the second, starting with Nick Loftin’s double bringing home Jac Caglianone, followed by a grounder from Kyle Isbel that allowed Loftin to score. Randy Arozarena pulled one of those runs back from Seattle in the bottom of the second with his 11th home run of the season.

Salvador Perez bagged one of his three hits in the fifth, a double to right field that scored Bobby Witt Jr and Vinnie Pasquantino. The Royals would need those RBIs from Perez, as the Mariners responded with two of their own in the bottom of the inning with RBI hits from Ben Williamson and JP Crawford. For good measure, Perez tacked on insurance in the top of the ninth with a single to score Witt.

Despite five strikeouts and no walks, Lorenzen was unable to go the full five innings, leaving the game one out shy after allowing the three runs on six hits. Lucas Erceg pitched a spotless seventh inning to receive the win, his third of the season, while Carlos Estévez earned his 23rd save of the year. The Royals tagged Emerson Hancock with the loss, as he allowed five runs on seven hits with three walks and one strikeout over six innings.

The Royals (40-46) sit 13.5 games behind Detroit for the AL Central lead, as well as 4.5 games behind Seattle for the third wild card spot. Noah Cameron will get the start for KC on Wednesday evening, with first pitch at 8:40 p.m. Pregame coverage begins at 8 p.m. on KMMO-FM 102.9.