SEATTLE -- Tampa Bay starter Chris Archer has been on such a roll lately that not even his manager knows how to explain it.

"Sometimes, he'll throw a breaking ball," Rays manager Kevin Cash said Sunday afternoon, "and (pitching coach Jim) Hickey and I will look at each other like, 'How did he do that?'"

Archer was at it again Sunday at Safeco Field, where he pitched seven solid innings, and made a little history along the way, in a 3-1 win over the Seattle Mariners.

Archer (7-4) allowed one unearned run off six hits, one of which could have easily been ruled an error. He struck out 11 without giving up a walk, marking the first time in major league history a pitcher has had 10 or more strikeouts without allowing a walk in three consecutive starts.

"I guess he's putting himself in his own class now," Cash said. "It's pretty impressive; it's very impressive. He keeps doing things, over and over, to give us a win."

Tampa Bay (31-27) only got five hits, with the key one coming on a Mikie Mahtook solo home run in seventh inning, to take its third of the four games in the series. The Rays have now won five of their past six.

Mahtook, a rookie who was called up in April, recorded his second career hit with the solo shot. Both of Mahtook's hits have been home runs.

Seattle starter Mike Montgomery, who was making his second career start and was with the Rays in spring training, struggled in the early going against his former team but eventually found a groove. Montgomery (0-1) allowed five hits and two runs over seven innings.

"I knew I probably didn't have my best stuff, but I wanted to keep battling and wanted to put up zeroes," Montgomery said.

Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said Montgomery probably was emotional in the early going since he was pitching against his former teammates.

"I'm not sure if he was overhyped or what," McClendon said. "But his fastball command just wasn't there (in the first inning)."

The Rays took a 1-0 lead on second baseman Logan Forsythe's RBI single in the first inning. Tampa Bay got a leadoff walk and two singles off Montgomery in that inning but couldn't generate another run until the seventh.

Seattle (25-32) matched the Mahtook homer with an RBI single from shortstop Brad Miller in the bottom of the seventh, cutting Tampa Bay's lead to 2-1.

After a Miller error to lead off the top of the eighth, the Rays went ahead 3-1 on an RBI sacrifice fly from pinch hitter David DeJesus.

Reliever Kevin Jepsen earned his fourth save of the season, and his third of the series, with a scoreless ninth. Jepsen allowed two two-out runners -- on an error and a hit -- in the ninth before Seattle shortstop Brad Miller flew out to end the game.

Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano, who was not in the lineup because of a .167 batting average during the homestand, was in the on-deck circle as a likely pinch hitter when Miller flew to right field.

After the game, Cash said that Tampa Bay closer Brad Boxberger was battling tightness in his triceps. Cash added that Boxberger should be available for Tuesday's series opener against the Los Angeles Angels.

"Jep really picked us up this series," Cash said. "He really made some big pitches."

It was a comparatively easy win for the Rays, who had played four consecutive one-run games heading into Sunday.

The Mariners ran themselves out of scoring opportunities in the fourth and sixth innings, when they got caught stealing to end threats. On one occasion, rightfielder Nelson Cruz got caught in a rundown when he took off for second base with two outs and runners on the corners.

"If I had called for him to do that," McClendon said, "my GM would have fired me on the spot. Nellie thought he saw something, and it wasn't there."

Seattle had seven hits and left six runners on base