KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Interstat) – Stephen Kolek tossed a four-hit shutout as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Seattle Mariners 5-0 on Saturday evening at Kauffman Stadium. Kolek (3-0) struck out two and walked none over nine innings, allowing only four hits and no earned runs.

The Royals struck early, scoring three runs in the first inning on a fielder’s choice that plated Maikel Garcia, a groundout that brought home Bobby Witt Jr. and a single by Jac Caglianone that scored Vinnie Pasquantino. Kansas City added a run in the third on a sacrifice fly by Carter Jensen, who finished with two RBIs, and another in the sixth on an Isaac Collins single.

Seattle managed just four hits, with Luke Raley going 3 for 3. George Kirby (5-4) took the loss, allowing nine hits and three earned runs over six innings with three strikeouts. The Mariners fell to 25-28, while the Royals improved to 21-31. Attendance was 25,544, and the game lasted 2 hours, 6 minutes.