The Royals created more separation in the top of the fifth courtesy of veteran catcher Salvador Perez. He hit a two-RBI double to give Kansas City a 5-1 advantage. That hit also gave him sole possession of the sixth-most hits in franchise history.

The Kansas City Royals face the Seattle Mariners in the opener of a 4-game set at T-Mobile Park in Seattle Monday.

Seriously: As they’ve settled into owning the puniest offense in Major League Baseball, the Royals (38-43) have mustered four or more runs only 30 times in 81 games. For that matter, as of Thursday they are 4-32 when trailing after six innings, 2-33 when behind after seven and 1-37 lagging after eight.