By the time George Kirby left the mound for good with 14 strikeouts Sunday, the rangy right-hander had turned his season around in a superb overall performance. A couple of innings later, the Seattle Mariners were also headed in the right direction again with the end of their five-game losing streak.

In a scary scene, Kirby took a line drive off his face on his 95th and final pitch Tuesday, a 102.7-mph shot off the bat of Baltimore’s Ramon Urias that ricocheted to Rowdy Tellez at first base for the final out of the fifth inning at T-Mobile Park.