SEATTLE - Until this season, Jason Vargas had never tossed more than 100 major league innings in a season, and that came a year ago, when he was in his first year back from hip surgery.

The question that keeps popping up about Vargas' ability to continually churn out innings as the season wears on is starting to get a little grating to the Mariners lefty.

"That seems to be a question every week and I think every week I prepare myself to do the same thing," Vargas said. "Physically, I feel fine."

Vargas allowed one run in six solid innings to win his seventh game at home, and Casey Kotchman's two-run single in the sixth gave Seattle the lead for good in the Mariners' 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.

Vargas (8-5) improved to 7-2 at Safeco Field this season, taking a shutout into the sixth inning. It was his second consecutive victory after going more than a month without a win. He's now thrown nearly 140 innings this season and moved into the lead for wins among Seattle starters while lowering his ERA to 3.12.

Sunday was the 17th time in his 22 starts that Vargas has thrown at least six innings.

"I threw a little more fastballs today, a little different than normal, but pitched in a lot and got ahead early," Vargas said. "I was happy with how I threw the ball.

Seattle took two of three from the Royals, winning its first series since taking two of three from the New York Yankees from June 29-July 1. The Mariners' last series win at home came in early June against Minnesota.

Kansas City starter Kyle Davies (5-7) was Vargas' equal until the sixth inning when he gave up three straight one-out hits. The last single, a liner up the middle by Kotchman, scored Ichiro Suzuki and Chone Figgins with the go-ahead runs.

Figgins added a bit of insurance in the eighth with an RBI single to score Suzuki. The top two in Seattle's order - Suzuki and Figgins - were a combined 4 for 7 and scored all three runs. Figgins is hitting .522 on the Mariners current homestand.

"Over the last couple of months I've been attacking the baseball and getting on top of hit more and hitting more line drives and hard ground balls and that's my game," Figgins said.

Kansas City Seattle

ab r h bi ab r h bi

GBlanc cf 5 0 0 0 ISuzuki rf 4 2 2 0

Kendall c 4 1 1 0 Figgins 2b 3 1 2 1

BButler 1b 3 0 2 0 Ktchm 1b 4 0 1 2

Betemt 3b 3 0 1 0 Branyn dh 3 0 0 0

B.Pena dh 4 0 1 0 FGtrrz cf 3 0 1 0

Aviles ss 4 0 1 1 JoLopz 3b 3 0 1 0

Maier lf 4 0 0 0 J.Bard c 2 0 0 0

Blmqst rf 2 0 1 0 Lngrhn lf 3 0 0 0

Gordon ph 1 1 1 1 JoWilsn ss 3 0 1 0

Getz 2b 3 0 0 0

Totals 33 2 8 2 Totals 28 3 8 3

Kansas City 000 001 001 - 2

Seattle 000 002 01x - 3

E-Aviles (11). DP-Kansas City 1, Seattle 1. LOB-Kansas City 8, Seattle 4. 2B-B.Butler (32). HR-Gordon (5). SB-Figgins (30). CS-F.Gutierrez (2). S-Getz, J.Bard.

IP H R ER BB SO

Kansas City

Davies L,5-7 6 5 2 2 2 5

Texeira 1 1 0 0 0 1

J.Chavez 1 2 1 0 0 1

Seattle

J.Vargas W,8-5 6 4 1 1 3 3

J.Wright H,4 1 1 0 0 0 0

League H,8 1 2 0 0 0 0

Aardsma S,20-24 1 1 1 1 0 0

Davies pitched to 1 batter in the 7th.

Umpires-Home, Tony Randazzo; First, Brian Gorman; Second, Paul Nauert; Third, Ted Barrett.

T-2:31. A-24,078 (47,878).