Royals edge Mariners, stay Wild Card relevant

Bruce Chen, Salvador Perez, Greg Holland and the biggest win of the year for the Royals, defeating the Mariners 4-3. I'm calling it from here on out: Every win is the biggest win of the year.

-- Chen went six strong. Another typical Chen appearance, which means he remains on this insane streak of goodness.

-- Perez clubbed a home run and drove home the lead run in the eighth, scoring Mike Moustakas on a slide that vibed Jim Sundberg in Game 6. It's that kind of season.

-- Holland was Holland. I'm experiencing hot flashes.

-- Kelvin Herrera got tagged with the tying run for allowing a bunt single and another single on a hit and run that put runners on the corners. There's some Herrera negativity running around that's left over from his struggles early in the season. But since his second recall from Omaha, he's been great. In 25 innings, he's whiffed 32, walked just six and posted a 1.44 ERA.

-- The Kyle Seager home run was a rocket. Just crushed a Chen 85 mph "fastball" on the inner half. When you see a hitter abuse a Chen pitch like that, you wonder how it doesn't happen more often. The answer: Voodoo. Or witchcraft.

-- The Billy Butler Double Play Experience continues. That's what happens when your DH puts over 52 percent of all balls in play on the ground.

-- Luke Hochevar, lock down reliever. Still feels strange, but damn if he didn't record the two biggest outs of the game.

-- Chris Getz left the game due to dizziness and abdominal discomfort. The Royals say he is being tested for a possible concussion.

Wild Card Standings as of September 3 at 10 PM:

Tampa      --
New York   -2.0
Baltimore   -2.5
Cleveland  - 3
Kansas City - 4