The Athletics erased another early deficit Thursday night, scoring six of the final seven runs in a 7-4 win over the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park.
Lawrence Butler delivered the go-ahead, two-run single in the fifth. Meanwhile, the A’s bullpen covered six innings after Jack Perkins departed and allowed only one run.
Scott Blewett earned his first win as an Athletic with two scoreless innings. Hogan Harris finished the night with a perfect ninth for his 14th save.
The victory was the A’s second straight and gave them the opener of the four-game series.
Butler delivers the turn
Zack Gelof gave the Athletics an immediate lead with his 16th homer in the first. However, Seattle answered with three runs against Perkins in the bottom half.
Julio Rodríguez doubled home Randy Arozarena before Cal Raleigh singled home Rodríguez. Lazaro Montes followed with an RBI single, putting Seattle ahead 3-1.
The A’s cut the deficit to one in the second. Jeff McNeil scored when Alika Williams grounded into a double play.
Then the offense broke through in the fifth.
Henry Bolte walked with two outs before Gelof singled him to third. Gelof stole second, putting both runners in scoring position for Butler.
Butler responded with a two-run single to center. Bolte and Gelof scored, giving the Athletics a 4-3 lead they never surrendered.
Bullpen holds the lead
Perkins labored through three innings, allowing three runs on four hits. He walked five but struck out seven while throwing 86 pitches.
Blewett took over in the fourth and immediately settled the game. He retired Seattle in order with two strikeouts before working around two singles in a scoreless fifth.
The right-hander finished with four strikeouts across two scoreless innings. As a result, he earned his first victory as an Athletic.
Chris Roycroft allowed Seattle’s final run in the sixth, trimming the lead to 5-4. However, he prevented further damage before handing the ball to Luis Medina in the seventh.
Medina inherited runners at first and third with two outs and struck out Arozarena. Then he worked through two walks in a scoreless eighth.
Harris followed with a perfect ninth. He struck out two while securing his 14th save.
A’s keep adding on
Donovan Walton gave the bullpen some breathing room with a pinch-hit solo homer in the sixth. It was his fifth home run of the season and made it 5-3.
The Athletics added another run in the eighth. McNeil singled and later scored on Max Muncy’s two-out RBI single.
Then Jonah Heim doubled in the ninth before McNeil drove him home with his 20th double.
The A’s finished with 14 hits and went 5-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Gelof, Butler, Bolte and McNeil each had two hits.
The victory improved the Athletics to 55-86. They are 1½ games ahead of the Angels in the AL West and a half-game ahead of Colorado in the overall standings.
Los Angeles owns the worst record in the majors at 53-87.
Up next
The four-game series continues Friday at T-Mobile Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. PT.
Kade Morris is scheduled to make the second start of his major league career for the Athletics. Seattle will counter with right-hander Logan Gilbert.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Las Vegas Aces, 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.
