| SEASON | CAREER |
| W7 | 92 |
| L5 | 72 |
| G19 | 224 |
| IP132.2 | 1521.0 |
| BB35 | 459 |
| SO140 | 1404 |
| SEASON | CAREER |
| W1 | 1 |
| L2 | 2 |
| G3 | 3 |
| IP14.0 | 14.0 |
| BB5 | 5 |
| SO9 | 9 |
It's been more than a month since Felix Hernandez lost a start for the Seattle Mariners .
The right-hander looks to continue his recent run of success to help the Mariners rebound from their latest defeat and take three of four on the road from the Kansas City Royals on Thursday.
Hernandez (7-5, 2.92 ERA) is 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA in six starts since losing to San Diego on June 12. He's allowed one run or none in five of those outings, and has yielded one over 16 2-3 innings while striking out 18 in the last two. The 2010 AL Cy Young award winner tossed a three-hitter and struck out 12 on Saturday for his second complete-game shutout in four starts, a 7-0 win over Texas.
"He's pretty special," teammate Kyle Seager told the Mariners' official website. "You see great hitters taking terrible swings. Anytime you get a guy doing that kind of thing, you know his stuff is the real deal."
Though Hernandez has looked dominant of late, he's posted a 3.71 ERA while losing three straight starts at Kansas City. However, the Mariners have not supported him with a single run in any of those outings.
Seattle (39-54) has totaled 25 runs and 39 hits while winning two of the first three in this set but fell short in an 8-7 loss to the Royals on Wednesday. Seager and Casper Wells each homered and drove in two runs as the Mariners overcame a four-run deficit, only to watch Billy Butler hit a walk-off homer to help Kansas City (39-51) snap a three-game skid and win for the fourth time in 16 games.
"There's no doubt (it's a big win for us), putting up seven runs and getting a nice lead and having the lead late in the game and them coming and fighting back," said Butler, who is 5 for 11 with two homers and four RBIs in the series. "(The Mariners) brought their sticks this series."Kansas City's lone All-Star this season, Butler is batting .400 (16 for 40) in his last 10 games.
"Billy is a special hitter," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "He's a special guy, knows velocities, knows exactly what ball is doing, if it cutting or sinking. He studies that stuff real religiously."Wells has batted .327 with four home runs and 12 RBIs in his last 12 games after going 2 for 23 in his previous seven contests.
Scheduled Kansas City starter Luke Hochevar (6-8, 5.16) is 2-1 with a 3.16 ERA in four starts against the Mariners, including 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA in three at Kauffman Stadium.
The right-hander is 1-0 in his last two starts overall but has not made it out of the fifth inning of either. He allowed three runs, three walks and left after five following a 97-pitch effort Saturday, not getting a decision in the Royals' 6-3 win over Chicago.
Ichiro Suzuki , who had three hits Wednesday, is 5 for 12 (.417) with two home runs and a double against Hochevar.
@
AVG
HRRUNSSBSOBBOBPSLGOPS
VS.
| HITTERS | AB | AVG | H | HR | RBI | BB | SO | OBP | OPS | SLG |
| Yuniesky Betancourt | 9 | .111 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .111 | .222 | .111 |
| Billy Butler | 14 | .286 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | .333 | .904 | .571 |
| Jarrod Dyson | 2 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .333 | .333 | .000 |
| Alcides Escobar | 2 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Jeff Francoeur | 3 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Chris Getz | 3 | .333 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 | .666 | .333 |
| Alex Gordon | 12 | .250 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | .357 | .774 | .417 |
| Mitch Maier | 9 | .222 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | .222 | .778 | .556 |
 Seattle Mariners |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| July 18, 2012 | Charlie Furbush | 15-Day DL | Strained left triceps |
| July 01, 2012 | Erasmo Ramirez | 15-Day DL | Right elbow flexor strain |
| June 30, 2012 | Erasmo Ramirez | Day-to-Day | Left game - leg injury |
| June 29, 2012 | Franklin Gutierrez | 15-Day DL | Concussion |
| June 29, 2012 | Franklin Gutierrez | Day-to-Day | Left Game-Head Injury |
| June 27, 2012 | Kevin Millwood | Day-to-Day | Left game - strained right groin |
 Kansas City Royals |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| July 05, 2012 | Luke Hochevar | Day-to-Day | Sprained right ankle |
| June 18, 2012 | Chris Getz | 15-Day DL | Lateral strain in lower left leg |
| June 18, 2012 | Chris Getz | 15-Day DL | Lateral strain in lower left leg |
| June 07, 2012 | Felipe Paulino | 15-Day DL | Strained right groin |
| May 26, 2012 | Jarrod Dyson | Day-to-Day | Left game - Right hamstring injury |
| May 22, 2012 | Chris Getz | 15-Day DL | Left ribcage contusion |
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Felix Hernandez worked quickly in the rising heat.
He won his fourth straight decision, Jesus Montero homered and drove in four runs to help the Seattle Mariners beat the Kansas City Royals 6-1 Thursday.
The temperature was 98 at the first pitch and 105 by the time the game ended.
"I was not thinking about the heat," Hernandez said. "I know it was hot. I just tried to throw strikes and get quick outs.
"I was not trying to pitch to contact, but just throw strikes," Hernandez said. "It's hot like 103, but I don't feel it that much. I'm trying to get quick outs and get out of the inning."
Hernandez (8-5) is 4-0 with a 1.37 ERA in his past seven starts since a loss to San Diego on June 12. While he leads the majors with 143 strikeouts, Hernandez struck out only three, tying his season low. He allowed one run and eight hits, throwing only 89 pitches in eight innings.
Hernandez worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the eighth, striking out Alcides Escobar and retiring Billy Butler on a grounder.
"He got a lot of quick outs. He was strong again today, a lot of life at end of his pitches and he was down," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said. "He really only had to work that last inning. That was big too. That game gets real close, real quick if one of those guys comes through. He really stepped up right there those last two hitters."
Hernandez permitted four singles in the first two innings, but got double-play grounders in both to keep his pitch count down.
The Mariners jumped on Royals rookie left-hander Will Smith (1-3) for three runs in the second with Montero leading off the inning with his ninth home run. Michael Saunders had an RBI single and Brendan Ryan added a sacrifice fly.
"It was a bad pitch 1-2," Smith said. "That's supposed to be a pitcher's count."
The Mariners increased the lead to 4-0 in the fifth when Ichiro Suzuki doubled and scored on Montero's single.
Montero had an RBI double off the left-field railing in the seventh inning and added a sacrifice fly in the ninth to match his career high with four RBIs.
Hernandez's streak of 19 2-3 scoreless innings ended in the fifth, which Eric Hosmer began with a double and scored on Chris Getz 's single.
Smith, just recalled from Triple-A Omaha, gave up four runs on eight hits in 6 1-3 innings, while walking two and striking out five.
The Mariners won three of four against the Royals, who have lost 13 of 17 games.
"I thought it was a great series overall," Wedge said. "I loved the way we played, a total team effort. You talk about a vision the way you want your team to play and how you want to go out there and play major league baseball and this is about it. This is what we're looking for."
NOTES: The Mariners faced a left-handed starting pitcher for the fifth straight game for the first time since July 23-28, 2009. .The Royals optioned RHP Vin Mazzaro to Triple-A Omaha. .C Jason Kendall , who has not played in nearly 23 months after having two shoulder operations, signed a minor league contract with the Royals and was assigned to their Double-A Northwest Arkansas affiliate. . RHP Erasmo Ramirez , who went on the disabled list July 1 with a mild elbow strain, threw a bullpen session Thursday and will pitch a simulated game this weekend when the Mariners are in Tampa Bay. .RHP Luke Hochevar will start Friday for the Royals in the series opener against Minnesota. RHP Nick Blackburn goes for the Twins.
.
Seattle Mariners
