SEATTLE -- When Seattles Justin Smoak hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning Tuesday night, the Kansas City Royals chances for a win and perhaps a post-season appearance were in big trouble. Smoak hit an 0-2 fastball from Bruce Chen (8-4) for his career-matching 19th home run and the Mariners went on to a 4-0 victory, creating a bleak playoff picture for the Royals. Time is running out -- just five games remaining -- much distance needs to be covered and two teams need to be hurdled. The Royals three competitors for the two AL wild-card spots -- Tampa Bay, Texas and Cleveland -- all won Tuesday. The Royals, down four games in the loss column to Cleveland, need to win every game and hope that both the Indians and the Rangers completely collapse. "We just go till they say we cant win it," Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. "We go as hard as we can. Keep playing our best guys and staying after it." 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. "He looked real good. Big, tall kid, straight over the top, straight downhill action on all his pitches," Yost said. "Good fastball, I mean, over-powering fastball at times, got it up to 97, lot of life on it. But downhill pitches are tough to hit, especially fastballs. Good breaking stuff, good changeup, good curveball." Paxton said it didnt matter to him that the Royals had everything on the line. "I wasnt really paying attention to that. I was just focusing on executing pitches, one pitch at a time," he said. "It could be just the electricity. Being out there it just kind of raises your intensity up that much more. I think it helps me to get lock in." 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. "That guy has a good fastball, slider, change," Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar said. "He got a lot of balls down, run in on the black. Great job for him today. Hes sneaky." 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. "I tried to go up with the fastball and he made good contact," Chen said. "I was ahead in the count. I did not pitch right down the middle. It wasnt a strike. I tried to go up the ladder and he would chase it and keep my team in the ball game. (But) he got it. "I was just trying to do everything I could to help this team win. At that point it was a 1-0 game. That Paxton did a real good job. It unfortunate because today was a really big game for us." Smoak has 19 home runs but it was just his second right-handed. The other was Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels. "I hit it. I dont know if I looked straight into the lights or whatever but I didnt know where it went," Smoak said. "To be able to barrel one up, knowing the work Ive put in the last couple weeks, it is starting to show." The Royals play one more game with Seattle on Wednesday night, then close the season at the Chicago White Sox. "Were not quitting. Were not giving up," Chen said. "As long as we got a chance were going to give it everything we can. Today was big game for us unfortunately. But thats not going to stop us tomorrow." 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). ... Royals 1B Eric Hosmer had two hits, his ninth multi-hit game in September. He leads the AL with 59. LeBron James Shoes For Sale . "This is my city," the Toronto native said upon his arrival Wednesday night. And the 35-year-old former league MVP says he is hoping to making 2014 a memorable year. LeBron James Shoes Outlet . Every. Single. Game. Thats 1,230 in total to cover the regular season. The man is Corey Sznajder, a soft-spoken 23-year-old Salisbury University grad who lives in Annapolis, Maryland and has been charting zone entries and zone exits throughout the NHL. I love big projects, he said. No kidding. At the 2013 Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, I met Eric Tulsky, who presented research on the value of controlled zone entries (short answer: about twice as valuable to enter with control of the puck rather than dumping it in) and Sznajder had charted a couple hundred games that were included in that study. https://www.cheapshoeslebronjames.com/ . McCutchen hit his first home run in over a month, doubled twice and scored two runs to help the Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 on Sunday and take three of four from the defending NL West champions. Cheap LeBron James Shoes . Just ask last seasons Supporters Shield winners, the New York Red Bulls, who were resoundingly defeated last weekend by a rampant Vancouver Whitecaps in a match which produced two contenders for MLS Goal of the Week from Sebastian Fernandez and Pedro Morales. Wholesale LeBron James Shoes . Thats what he did over the past 2 1/2 years with the Washington Wizards. Wittmans approach helped turn the Wizards from pushover to playoff winners.With the second half of the season well underway and a two-and-a-half week Olympic break coming up, the NHLs Mar. 5 Trade Deadline isnt that far off and teams will be making decisions on whether to buy, sell and decide which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Check out todays trade rumours and speculation from around the NHL beat. And follow TSN.ca through Deadline Day for all the updates. While the Windows Open After being extended by the Ottawa Senators through 2016, general manager Bryan Murray said he was ready to make moves to add the missing pieces for a Stanley Cup run. Speaking with TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LebBrun of ESPN.com, Murray said "I think we do have a good number of young people I would think other organizations would be interested in." Murray made it clear, however, that Curis Lazar - the teams 2013 first round draft pick - would not be traded by the team. The target for the Senators was narrowed down by Murray, "probably the one area that like a lot of teams we still need is another forward that has some impact, either in the scoring part of it or the physical part. Either/or, and I think that would address a need on our hockey team." Gateway to the Cup? Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal believes that the St. Louis Blues will try to upgrade their goaltending by the trade deadline and could target Buffalo Sabress goaltender Ryan Miller.dddddddddddd The Blues could offer goalie Jaroslav Halak and a prospect or young forward in exchange for Miller but will not trade winger Dmitrij Jaskin. Wheeling and Dealing Matheson also reports the Pittsburgh Penguins would like to acquire Winnipeg Jets winger Blake Wheeler to play with Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz on the teams first line. The main obstacle, according to Matheson, is that the Jets are not interested in accepting draft picks in exchange for core players. The Penguins are reportedly willing to trade defenceman Simon Despres, their 2009 first round pick. Blue Line, Blue Chip Addition? According to Matheson, the Anaheim Ducks are looking to upgrade their defence and would like to add Dan Girardi of the New York Rangers. The Ducks are willing to move Luca Sbisa, Sheldon Souray and their two first round picks in 2014 (their own and the pick they acquired from Ottawa in the Bobby Ryan trade). Girardi is slated to become anunrestricted free-agent at the end of the season. Not Good Enough Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun reports Flames forwards Mike Cammalleri, Matt Stajan and Lee Stepniak are negatively impacting their trade value with their recent poor play. All three forwards have been linked to trade talk and will be unrestricted free-agents at the end of this season. ' ' '