SEATTLE -- The joke in Seattle these days is "the first team to 1 wins."

That's because the Seattle Mariners are hitting just .202 at home and almost three-quarters of their homers have come on the road.

So Thursday's game should have been heavily tilted in the Boston Red Sox's favor, especially with reliever-turned-starter Franklin Morales throwing around zeroes like he'd bought an extra batch on the cheap at Costco.

Even so, the red-hot Red Sox, having won nine of their previous 11, couldn't find an answer for Felix Hernandez. They dropped a 1-0 decision to the last-place Mariners when catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia couldn't hold a throw from Cody Ross with Casper Wells trying to score from second base on pinch-hitter John Jaso's single to right in the ninth.

Ross came up quickly on the ball and got off a strong throw. Plate umpire Adrian Johnson was ready to call Wells out, but the ball popped free and Johnson changed his mind.

Wells started the rally with a one-out double, then reliever Scott Atchison intentionally walked Justin Smoak before Jaso, hitting for Miguel Olivo, gave Seattle its third walk-off win of the season.

The Red Sox have never had much of an answer for Hernandez, who came into the game with a 5-2 record and a 3.55 ERA against Boston.