Kyle Seager hit a two-run single and Marco Gonzales earned his second consecutive victory as the Seattle Mariners defeated the visiting Oakland Athletics 4-3 Sunday afternoon.
After losing the series opener, the Mariners won three in a row — all by one run — to pull within 1 1/2 games of Oakland in the race for the American League’s second wild-card berth.
Matt Olson and Seth Brown hit solo home runs for the A’s.
Oakland had a chance in the ninth as Matt Chapman was hit by a one-out pitch from right-hander Drew Steckenrider and Mitch Moreland grounded a single into left-center field. But left fielder Jake Bauers got to the ball quickly and threw a strike to Seager to nab Chapman trying to take third. Steckenrider got Brown to pop out to shortstop J.P. Crawford to earn the save, his third of the season.
Gonzales (3-5), the Mariners’ ace who missed more than five weeks this spring with a left forearm strain, allowed two runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings. The left-hander walked two and struck out four.
Seager’s two-run single in a four-run third inning helped the Mariners overcome an early 2-0 deficit.
The A’s opened the scoring in the second, as Chapman singled with one out, stole second and advanced to third on a ground out. He scored on Stephen Piscotty’s double to center.
Olson went deep to right with one out in the third to make it 2-0. It was his team-leading 27th home run of the season.
The Mariners took the lead with a two-out rally off left-hander Cole Irvin (7-9) in the bottom of the inning.
Crawford grounded a single to center, Mitch Haniger walked and Ty France was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Seager grounded the next pitch into right field to bring home two runners and tie the game. Luis Torrens then grounded a run-scoring single into left to give Seattle the lead and Tom Murphy hit a shallow fly to center that popped out of the glove of diving outfielder Ramon Laureano when he hit the turf, making it 4-2.
Brown came to bat for Piscotty with one out in the seventh and hit a solo shot to right off right-hander Casey Sadler.
Irvin allowed four runs on five hits in four innings, with one walk and three strikeouts.
–Field Level Media