SEATTLE -- Justin Smoak hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning and the Seattle Mariners beat Kansas City 4-0 on Tuesday night, putting the Royals post-season hopes in serious jeopardy. Mariners rookie left-hander James Paxton (3-0), making just his fourth major league start, worked a career-high seven innings, allowing four hits, walking none and striking out a career-high 10. The playoff picture looks as bleak as it can be for the Royals (83-74). They are four games behind Cleveland for the second wild-card berth with five games to play. The Royals three competitors for the two wild-card spots -- Tampa Bay, Texas and Cleveland -- all won Tuesday. The Royals need to win every game and have both the Indians and Rangers completely collapse. It was the 13th shutout for the Mariners and the ninth time the Royals have been shut out. Seattle touched Bruce Chen (8-4) for a run in the first when Brad Miller reached on an infield single followed by Abraham Almontes single to centre. Almonte has reached base in all his 18 games to start his career, 16 with a hit. With one out, Kendrys Morales singled to left, driving in Miller. Chen worked five innings, allowing seven hits and four runs. He walked three and struck out five. The Royals could not respond against Paxton. They put together two singles in the first inning but a double play eased him out of trouble. He didnt allow more than one baserunner in any inning after that and at one point he retired 12 straight. The Mariners blew the game open in the fifth with three runs -- all with two outs. Morales, who had three hits, doubled to deep centre. Franklin Gutierrez walked and Smoak hit a 0-2 fastball over the wall in left field. Smoak has 19 home runs but it was just his second right-handed. The other was Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels. NOTES: Mariners LHP Danny Hultzen, the second player taken in the 2011 draft, has a problem with his left shoulder and will see Dr. James Andrews on Monday. "Ed (team doctor Ed Khalfayan) saw him and, quite frankly, doesnt like what he sees," GM Jack Zduriencik said. "He saw some damage that he was unhappy with. Its in the shoulder but not in the rotator cuff, more tendon area, labrum." . The club confirmed Zduriencik will return in 2014. . The Royals need one more win to match their win total from 1993 (84-78). ... Eric Hosmer of the Royals had two hits, his ninth multi-hit game in September. He leads the AL with 59.

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Cheap Jerseys . 19 Syracuse advanced to the Big East championship game with a 58-55 victory over No.PITTSBURGH -- Rod Barajas knows the Pittsburgh Pirates didnt pick up the veteran catcher in free agency to hit .131 with no homers and no RBI during the first month of the season. Yet even as his woes mounted, manager Clint Hurdle stuck by Barajas, sending him to the batters box with the tying run on third and two outs in the ninth against Washington on Tuesday night. "I thought what the heck? Hes hit a few homers before," Hurdle said. Hurdles faith paid off when Barajas drilled a two-run homer off closer Henry Rodriguez to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 5-4 victory. The Nationals went ahead 4-3 after Adam LaRoches two-run blast in the top of the ninth off Pittsburgh closer Joel Hanrahan. Alex Presley singled with one out in the bottom of the ninth off Rodriguez (1-2) and moved to third on a pair of wild pitches before Barajas broke through. "I kind of figured (Rodriguez) was going to come hard," Barajas said. "I wasnt going to let one go by if it was where I like it." Tony Watson (2-0) earned the victory after replacing Hanrahan. Rodriguez, perhaps unsettled after walking Presley then letting him advance to third by bouncing a pair of breaking balls past catcher Wilson Ramos, threw a fastball that Barajas hit into the seats for his first home run since last September when he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers. "(Rodriguez) usually has pretty good command of his curveball and that kind of got him in a jam and I thought he was still going to get out of it," Washington manager Davey Johnson said. "Obviously, Barajas knows hes going to get a fastball and he gets out in front, and thats the ball game." Barajas raised his arms in triumph and nearly slipped rounding first base before getting mobbed by his teammates after crossing the plate. It was vindication for Barajas, who was booed heavily after popping up in the seventh inning. "Id love to be doing better, nobody wants to hear that from your home fans," he said. "I was in a situation where I was able to put them back on my side. Hopefully theyll give me a little more leeway." Andrew McCutchen hit his first homer of the season for the Pirates and Garrett Jones added his fourth. Neil Walker gave Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth with a sacrifice fly off Washington reliever Tyler Clippard. The lead lasted all of two batters. Ryan Zimmerman, playing in his first game since April 20 after sppending more than two weeks on the disabled list with inflammation in his right shoulder, singled off Hanrahan and LaRoche smashed a 97 mph fastball from Hanrahan just over the wall in centre.dddddddddddd The Nationals, who have climbed to the top of the National League East thanks to nine wins in one-run games, turned to Rodriguez. He struggled against the bottom third of one of baseballs weakest lineups while blowing his second save of the season. "I feel terrible for Henry," LaRoche said. "He wants to win as bad as anybody. I know its killing him... with the little things that are going on. And then to throw 100 and have a guy run into it to walk you off, its frustrating." Washington rookie outfielder Bryce Harper went 1 for 4 with a double while starting in right field in place of Jayson Werth, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list after breaking his left wrist in a loss to Philadelphia on Sunday. Werth will be out at least three months, meaning Harper is likely here to stay. He certainly appears ready. The 19-year-old is batting .300 with six doubles in just nine games. The late struggles by the closers was in stark contrast to the work done by both starters. Washingtons Edwin Jackson was stellar, giving up three hits in seven innings, striking out five and walking one. He retired the final 10 batters and needed just 91 pitches to deal with baseballs lowest scoring team. Pittsburghs A.J. Burnett, lit up for 12 runs in 2 2-3 innings by St. Louis last Wednesday, bounced back with the kind of performance the Pirates were looking for when they acquired him in a trade with the New York Yankees in February. The 35-year-old gave up a solo homer to Ramos leading off the third and an RBI single by Rick Ankiel in the fourth. Otherwise he was dominant and grew stronger as the night wore on, allowing two runs and six hits in eight innings, walking one and striking out 10. "Both starters pitched a great ballgame and the guys who were supposed to save it both gave it up," Johnson said. "Henrys been pretty good all year long, and he gave up the one that beat us. But hell be back and hell be fine." NOTES: The Nationals are 9-5 in one-run games this season, with all five losses coming on the road ... The series continues on Wednesday. Ross Detwiler (3-1, 1.59 ERA) will start for the Nationals against Pittsburghs Erik Bedard (2-4, 2.65) ... Pittsburghs Pedro Alvarez is 0 for 8 since moving to cleanup on Saturday. ' ' '