Julio Rodriguez and Dylan Moore homered as the Seattle Mariners defeated the visiting Oakland Athletics 8-6 Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series.
It was the third consecutive victory for the Mariners and their eighth in the past 10 games.
Ramon Laureano homered twice and drove in four runs and Elvis Andrus also went deep for the A’s, who lost their fourth in a row and finished June with a 5-21 record.
Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert (9-3) earned the victory, allowing four runs on eight hits in six-plus innings, with one walk and three strikeouts. Paul Sewald earned his eighth save.
The Mariners snapped a 4-4 tie with a four-run fifth. Jesse Winker singled with one out and Carlos Santana did the same with two. Abraham Toro lined a single to left to make it 5-4 and end the night for Oakland right-hander Adrian Martinez (1-1).
A.J. Puk came in to face Cal Raleigh, whose drive to straightaway center went off the glove of Skye Bolt as he tried to make an over-the-shoulder catch at the wall. Second baseman Tony Allen’s relay throw deflected off Raleigh as he slid into third and the ball caromed down the left-field line, allowing the lumbering catcher to score the third run on the play.
Sheldon Neuse went 3-for-3 for the A’s, including an RBI single in the eighth. Laureano hit a solo homer in the ninth to cap the scoring.
The Mariners opened the scoring in the first after loading the bases. With one out, Toro fouled into a rare sacrifice double play, with Rodriguez scoring on the ball caught by left fielder Tony Kemp and Winker thrown out at third.
The teams traded leadoff homers in the third, with Andrus going deep to left-center and Rodriguez to center to make it 2-1.
The Mariners tacked on two runs in the fourth as Adam Frazier singled with two outs and Moore homered just inside the left-field foul pole.
Trailing 4-1, the A’s tied it on Laureano’s three-run shot to right with one out in the fourth.
Gilbert had a scare in the second when Sean Murphy hit a 106 mph liner back to the mound. Gilbert was able to get his glove up and snared the ball, which was headed toward his face.
–Field Level Media