Brent Rooker hit a two-run homer, Jeffrey Springs pitched six scoreless innings and JJ Bleday made a pair of sterling defensive plays as the Athletics defeated the host Seattle Mariners 7-0 Friday night.
Max Muncy homered in the eighth inning for his first major league hit, and former Mariners player Luis Urias went deep in a pinch-hitting appearance in the ninth as the A’s evened the season-opening, four-game series at one victory apiece.
Springs, a left-hander making his A’s debut after being acquired in an offseason trade with Tampa Bay, gave up three hits, walked one and fanned nine.
The Mariners’ Luis M. Castillo took the loss. The right-hander allowed two runs on three hits over five innings, with two walks and four strikeouts.
The teams combined for just one hit through the first four innings — a one-out grounder into right field by the Athletics’ Gio Urshela in the second inning — until the A’s broke the scoreless tie in the fifth.
Lawrence Butler lined a two-out double to the base of the wall in center field, and Rooker hit a 1-1 fastball that skimmed the top of the wall in left-center on its way over, making it 2-0.
Mitch Garver and Jorge Polanco led off the bottom of the inning with singles off Springs. With one out, Dylan Moore lined a single, and Bleday threw out Garver trying to score from second. J.P. Crawford then hit a liner to left-center, but Bleday made a sliding catch to keep the Mariners off the scoreboard.
The A’s tacked on three runs in the seventh.
With one out and Eduard Bazardo on the mound, Jacob Wilson grounded a single into right field and Butler walked. After Rooker struck out, the Mariners brought in lefty Tayler Saucedo to face Bleday. The move backfired as Bleday hit a chopper over the mound, with Wilson scoring from second. Shea Langeliers followed with a run-scoring single to left-center, and Tyler Soderstrom lined a ground-rule double down the right field line to make it 5-0.
The Mariners held a news conference before the game to announce catcher Cal Raleigh’s six-year, $105 million contract that was signed earlier in the week. The announcement was postponed from Wednesday because Raleigh was dealing with food poisoning.
–Field Level Media
