Ty France hit two home runs and Logan Gilbert pitched eight strong innings as the Seattle Mariners completed a four-game sweep of the visiting Oakland Athletics with a 3-2 victory Thursday night.
Eugenio Suarez walked with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the eighth to bring home the tiebreaking run.
Seth Brown hit a two-run homer for the A’s, who took their eighth successive defeat.
Gilbert (3-2) allowed two runs on three hits. The right-hander didn’t issue a base on balls and fanned six batters.
Paul Sewald pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out two, to earn his 11th save of the season in as many opportunities.
Oakland reliever Richard Lovelady (0-3) walked Jose Caballero leading off the eighth. With one out, France hit a popup to shallow left that shortstop Nick Allen let drop to force out the speedy Caballero at second base.
The move seemed to work as France was unable to score on a double to right-center by Julio Rodriguez off reliever Garrett Acton. The A’s intentionally walked Jarred Kelenic to load the bases, but Acton found the strike zone on only one of five pitches to Suarez, allowing France to score the go-ahead run.
France, who sat out the previous game after getting hit by a pitch in the left hand in the eighth inning on Tuesday, launched both of his homers into Edgar’s Cantina between the first and second decks in left field.
A’s starter JP Sears allowed one run on three hits in five innings but was pulled after just 59 pitches. The left-hander didn’t walk a batter and struck out one.
The move backfired as France greeted reliever Trevor May with his second homer of the night. France got around on a 96 mph fastball that was thrown to the top inside corner of the strike zone, and the blast tied the score at 2-2. May was the pitcher who plunked France two nights earlier.
The A’s opened the scoring in the first inning. With one out, Ryan Noda lined a double to center, and an out later, Brown hit an 0-1 knuckle-curve into the seats into right-center field.
After Brown’s homer, Gilbert retired 15 consecutive batters before Noda hit a two-out single in the sixth.
Seattle responded in the bottom of the first. With one out, France pulled a sweeping, 83 mph breaking pitch from Sears down the left field line.
–Field Level Media
