The Royals managed only five hits in a 5-2 loss to the Mariners Wednesday afternoon. Starter Jeremy Affeldt dropped to 3-3, allowing all five runs in six innings of work. The lone bright spot for the Royals was the bullpen. Sean Lowe and Mike MacDougal held Seattle hitless over the final three innings of the game. Unfortunately, for Kansas City, they had just one hit over the same three frames. The loss moved the Royals four and a half games behind the Twins in the A.L. Central. Before the game, the Royals put outfielder Dee Brown and infielder Carlos Febles on the 15-day disabled list. Brown has a sprained wrist and Febles suffers from a finger contusion. They join starting pitchers Miguel Asencio and Runelvys Hernandez who are experiencing elbow problems. The Royals called up second baseman Brent Abernathy, outfielder Aaron Guiel and pitcher Rick DeHart. Reliever Scott Mullen was designated for minor league assignment.
