Seattle, WA - Adrian Beltre hit a three-run homer, drove in four and scored three as the Seattle Mariners came back to defeat the Oakland Athletics, 14-10, in the finale of a four-game series at Safeco Field.
Ben Broussard replaced first baseman Richie Sexson, who was ejected in the sixth inning for arguing with first base umpire Mark Carlson, and had a pair of hits, including a two-run homer and three RBI.
Jose Guillen also knocked in two runs for Seattle, which took three of four from the Athletics. Prior to three straight wins, the M’s lost the previous seven contests.
Ichiro Suzuki singled in the second inning for his 1,500 career hit. He becomes the third fastest player in major league history to accomplish the fete. Suzuki finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored and a pair of stolen bases.
Sean Green (4-1) earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief. Jarrod Washburn started for Seattle and pitched five innings, allowing five runs — three earned — on five hits, while striking out two and walking three.
Nick Swisher and Mike Piazza each drove in three runs apiece and Shannon Stewart added a solo home run and two RBI for the Athletics, who have lost three in a row and four of their last five. Huston Street (2-2) took the loss by allowing three hits and four runs — two earned — in two-thirds of an inning.
Lenny DiNardo got the start for Oakland and struggled through three innings of work. The left-hander gave up seven runs on seven hits, walked a pair and didn’t record a strikeout.
In a wild back-and-forth contest which saw the Mariners trailing 10-7 in the seventh, Seattle came back with three in the frame to tie it up at 10-10. Suzuki got things started with a one-out bunt single, then stole second and third. After Jose Vidro and Guillen struck out, Adrian Beltre singled to left to plate Suzuki and Broussard belted a two-run homer to right for his sixth of the season.
“I was just kind of choked up (on the bat) trying to make contact and I hit it out, so it worked out good,” Broussard said on his two-run home run.
Seattle reclaimed the lead in the eighth. Street came in to replace Santiago Casilla on the hill to start the frame for the Athletics and was greeted with a double to left by Kenji Johjima. Jason Ellison then came in to pinch- run and scored when Jose Lopez dropped a sacrifice bunt to Street, but the Oakland pitcher committed a throwing error, allowing Lopez to score. A two-run single by Guillen and an RBI base hit by Broussard put the Mariners ahead 14-10.
“The Willie Bloomquist ball finds a spot and then we got a walk,” Street said. “I felt strong the whole inning. I felt strong through every pitch and was battling the whole way through. I just had a bad day.”
J.J. Putz came in for the ninth and retired the Athletics in order to preserve the win.
The Mariners got off to a quick start, posting a pair of runs in the first inning. With runners on first and second and two outs, Sexson and Raul Ibanez hit back-to-back RBI singles to give Seattle the early advantage.
Seattle continued to hammer DiNardo in the second inning. With runners on first and second and one down, Vidro’s lined single to left chased home a run and after Jose Guillen flied out, Beltre hit a three-run homer to left to put the visitors up 6-0.
A two-run single by Piazza and sacrifice fly off the bat of Jack Cust in the top of the third inning got the A’s back to within 6-3.
The Mariners tacked on a run in the bottom of the third. Ibanez led off the frame with a double to right and advanced to third on a ground out by Johjima. Lopez then grounded a run-scoring base hit to left to make it 7-3.
Stewart led off the fifth with a solo home run to left-center, his eighth off the season and a little later in the frame an RBI single by Cust cut Oakland’s deficit to 7-5.
The Athletics exploded for four more runs in the sixth inning. With the bases loaded on consecutive singles and one out, Swisher cleared the bases with a double to center and scored when Piazza followed with lined single to put Oakland ahead 9-7.
Stewart’s run-scoring base hit in the top of the seventh upped the A’s lead to 10-7.
Game Notes
Attendance was 41,961…The Mariners have now won 21 of their last 28 at Safeco Field…The A’s are 5-12 since the All-Star break…Oakland will host the Detroit Tigers in a three-game series beginning on Monday, while the Mariners will welcome the Angels to Safeco to start a three-game set on Monday.
