SEATTLE — The Red Sox could not solve James Paxton, leaving Boston with a four-game split against the Seattle Mariners.

Paxton stretched his scoreless streak to a career-best 20 innings in a 5-0 win Sunday as Boston finished a 5-5 trip.

With Boston’s offense struggling, Steven Wright had no margin for error Sunday in his first start of the season for the Red Sox, and he took the loss against the Seattle Mariners after giving up three runs in five innings. Photos by The Associated Press

Kyle Seager rounds the bases after his two-run homer in the eighth inning capped Seattle’s 5-0 victory.

COMING UP

TUESDAY-THURSDAY: Texas Rangers at Red Sox

FRIDAY-SUNDAY: Los Angeles Angels at Red Sox

“We had some good at-bats,” Dustin Pedroia said. “We hit the ball hard. We just didn’t get hits or didn’t put it all together.”

Paxton (2-2) allowed five hits in eight innings, struck out two and walked two. Carson Smith pitched a perfect ninth.

Steven Wright (1-1), staring in place of an injured Justin Masterson, gave up three runs – two earned – and five hits in five innings.

Boston put runners in scoring position just twice. Brad Miller snagged a hard-hit groundball at shortstop from Pedroia to strand Blake Swihart at third base in the third inning. Swihart hit an inning-ending grounder with runners at second and third in the seventh inning as Paxton worked out of a jam.

“He threw a lot of strikes, came right after us with the good fastball,” Red Sox Manager John Farrell said. “We had a couple opportunities but the two-out hit wasn’t there.”

Boston batted .201 on the trip and scored 23 runs.

“We’re not hitting right now,” Hanley Ramirez said. “We’ve got to start hitting.”

Consecutive singles from Seager and Logan Morrison put runners on the corners with no outs in the second inning. Seager scored from third on a passed ball off Swihart’s mask that went to the backstop, and Mike Zunino hit a two-out RBI single beyond the outstretched glove of Pedroia.

Miller homered just inside the right-field foul pole in the fifth for a 3-0 lead, his fourth home run in five games and third in the last two days.

“It stayed up a little bit more than I wanted it to,” Wright said. “… He’s just a good hitter, kept his hands back and was able to wrap it around the pole.”

Wright moved into the rotation after Masterson landed on the disabled list Thursday because of right shoulder tendinitis. Farrell felt Wright did enough to keep the Red Sox in the game.

“I thought he threw a number of good knuckleballs,” Farrell said. “Miller, who the last couple of days has kind of caught fire, gets a knuckleball up in the strike zone for a home run, but five innings (and) three runs (allowed) keeps the game in check and it didn’t get away from him.”

After Nelson Cruz walked in the eighth, Seager homered on the first pitch from Craig Breslow.

PEDROIA STREAK

Pedroia extended his on-base streak to 22 games – the fifth-longest streak of his career – with a walk in the first inning. Pedroia is hitting .280 with seven runs scored, two doubles, a home run, six RBI and 14 walks over that span.

TRAINER’S ROOM

RED SOX: Masterson threw on flat ground before Sunday’s game. Farrell said the inflammation in Masterson’s right shoulder has lessened and he hopes to get Masterson back on the mound by midweek for some bullpen sessions before a rehab assignment.

MARINERS: Center fielder Austin Jackson went 0 for 3 for Triple-A Tacoma as he continued his rehab stint. Jackson has been on the disabled list since May 4 because of a right ankle sprain. He was 2 for 4 as the designated hitter Saturday night but played in the field Sunday.

UP NEXT

RED SOX: Wade Miley (2-4, 5.60 ERA) will make his second-career start against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday. Miley lost his only decision against Texas despite allowing one run and three hits in 72/3 innings while with Arizona on June 13, 2012.

MARINERS: Right-hander Taijuan Walker (1-4, 7.22 ERA), who is scheduled to pitch Tuesday against Baltimore, has held opponents to three runs or fewer in four of his last five starts.

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