Luke Hochevar was called upon from the Royals bullpen and got a key out in the top of the eighth inning. Then catcher Salvador Perez drove in a run in the bottom half of the inning to give the Royals a 4-3 win over the Seattle Mariners.
Billy Butler grounded into a double play, but Mike Moustakas hustled to get a double to center in that eighth. Perez followed with a single to left, and Moustakas slid headfirst to beat Endy Chavez’s throw to home.
Perez also homered and finished with three hits, and Alex Gordon added a homer for the Royals, his 12th leadoff homer of the year, breaking the franchise record tied with David DeJesus and Willie Wilson at 11. The Royals have won three straight and eight of their last 10 to climb back into playoff contention. They are just 4.5 games out of the Wild Card.
Hochever entered the game in the eighth with runners on second and third and got a fly ball to end a threat after the Royals blew a 3-0 lead. Â Greg Holland pitched the ninth…his 31st straight save and 38th of the season.
