The Athletics spent most of Monday night chasing. Then they flipped the game in one inning.
The A’s trailed by three early, pulled even on back-to-back home runs in the sixth, then broke it open with three runs in the eighth to beat the Mariners 6-4 at T-Mobile Park. Lawrence Butler delivered the biggest hit of the night with a two-run single, and the Athletics moved back into first place in the AL West at 12-11.
It took some work to get there. Seattle hit J.T. Ginn early, and the A’s left a big chance on the table in the sixth before finding the swing they needed two innings later.
Seattle landed the first punches
The Mariners had control early.
Cal Raleigh opened the scoring with a solo homer in the first. Julio Rodríguez followed with a single, stole second and came home on Josh Naylor’s RBI double. Then Dominic Canzone led off the second with another solo shot, and Seattle had a 3-0 lead before the Athletics had much going.
Carlos Cortes finally got the A’s on the board in the fourth. He drove a solo homer to right, his second of the season, to trim the deficit to 3-1.
That was all Emerson Hancock allowed until the sixth. Ginn, meanwhile, settled in after the rocky start. The right-hander finished with 5 1/3 innings, six hits, three runs, two walks and six strikeouts.
The sixth woke the bats
The Athletics finally caught up in the sixth.
Nick Kurtz led off the inning with a solo homer to center. Then Shea Langeliers followed with another solo shot on the very next pitch, and just like that the game was tied at 3-3.
The rally almost turned into more.
Carlos Cortes singled, Jeff McNeil added a two-out single and Max Muncy was hit by a pitch to load the bases. But José Ferrer got Butler on a groundout, and the Mariners escaped with the game still even.
That kept the pressure on the bullpen.
The eighth turned it
The A’s found their opening in the eighth and did not waste it.
Tyler Soderstrom started the inning with a double, and Jacob Wilson followed with a single to put runners at the corners. McNeil then walked to load the bases. Next, Muncy lifted a sacrifice fly to right that brought home the go-ahead run.
But the bigger blow came right after that.
Butler lined a two-run single to right, scoring Wilson and McNeil for a 6-3 lead. That gave the Athletics the cushion they had been chasing all night.
Seattle got one back in the ninth on Leo Rivas’ RBI double, but no more. Joel Kuhnel finished it for his fourth save.
Numbers that mattered
Cortes led the offense, going 4-for-5 with a homer and an RBI. Kurtz and Langeliers each homered, while Wilson had two hits and scored once. Butler finished with two hits and two RBIs, and Muncy added the go-ahead sacrifice fly.
The Athletics finished with 13 hits and went 2-for-3 with runners in scoring position.
Hogan Harris picked up the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief. Mark Leiter Jr. worked a scoreless eighth, and Kuhnel closed it out despite allowing one run in the ninth.
Up next
The Athletics continue the series Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. PT.
Jacob Lopez is scheduled to start for the A’s against Seattle right-hander Luis Castillo. Lopez enters at 1-1 with a 6.38 ERA, while Castillo is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
