Lind, Mariners hammer A's

[May 26, 2016]  SEATTLE -- Through all the unexpected success that the Seattle Mariners enjoyed this season, new first baseman Adam Lind mostly was a spectator.

On Wednesday, Lind put on quite a show.

"It was nice to see," teammate Nelson Cruz said after Lind hit two home runs and drove in six runs in the Mariners' 13-3 thumping of the Oakland A's. "I'm happy for him."

Struggling to find much consistency in his first year with the Mariners, Lind finally broke out Wednesday. He had a solo homer in the second inning, a three-run shot in the third, an RBI single in the sixth and an RBI double in the seventh as the Mariners rolled out to a 12-3 lead.

"We've been playing well, but we haven't really had a game like that all season," Lind said. "We've played a lot of close games, so it was nice to get out like that."

Cruz and Robinson Cano also homered on a night when the Mariners (28-18) posted season highs of 17 hits and 13 runs.

Cruz went 3-for-4 and hit his 10th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the seventh. Cano added his team-high 14th homer, a solo home run in the eighth.

The A's (20-28) absorbed their sixth loss in seven games. Zach Neal (0-1) made his first major league start and couldn't get past the fourth inning.

"At one point we came back and got within 7-3 and had a chance," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "Then it got out of hand after that."

Seattle starter Hisashi Iwakuma (3-4) allowed three runs on eight hits over seven innings to earn his second win over the A's this season. In those two victories, the Mariners gave Iwakuma 21 runs of support.

Eight of the nine position players in Seattle's batting order had hits, with Kyle Seager, Norichika Aoki and Luis Sardinas getting two apiece.

Khris Davis hit his 13th home run of the season for the A's. Teammates Billy Burns and Jed Lowrie had two hits apiece.

Lind hit his two home runs as Seattle jumped out to a 7-1 lead over the first three innings.

After the A's scored first on Davis' solo homer in the top of the second inning, Lind tied the score with a solo shot in the bottom of the inning. Lind added a three-run homer during the Mariners' six-run third.

Seattle opened the third with four consecutive hits, including an RBI single by Leonys Martin that gave the Mariners their first lead, 2-1. Seager added an RBI single, and Lind went deep again, hitting a three-run shot for his fifth home run of the season and a 6-1 Seattle lead.

"I've definitely been building toward something," Lind said with a laugh, referring to his early struggles this season. "It was just a good night."

The Mariners lost Martin for the game when he hurt his left hamstring running the bases in the third. Martin came out of the game after the inning, replaced by Shawn O'Malley in center field to open the fourth. A Mariners spokesman later announced that Martin tweaked his hamstring and is day-to-day.

Mariners first baseman Adam Lind (26) hits a solo homer against the Oakland Athletics during the second inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

"We get a day off (Thursday) and then we'll see," said Martin, who manned the leadoff spot the past four games and is one of Seattle's hottest hitters. "I'll be all right."

RBIs from Coco Crisp and Billy Burns pulled the A's within 7-3 in the fifth.

Lind added an RBI single in the fifth to give Seattle an 8-3 lead. His RBI double in the seventh put Seattle ahead 12-3.

Neal, starting because ace Sonny Gray went on the disabled list over the weekend, struggled before coming out of the game after four innings. He allowed seven runs on eight hits in his second big league appearance. Neal, recalled from Triple-A Nashville before Wednesday's game, allowed three runs in three innings in a relief appearance earlier this month.

Melvin said he considered taking Neal out during the six-run third, but he couldn't afford to burn too many relievers after using seven pitchers the previous night.

"I needed some innings," Melvin said of using Neal in the fourth. "You can't just take a guy out and keep using the bullpen. Sometimes, a guy's got to figure it out. ... It was nice he was able to give us four (innings)."
 

NOTES: The A's reinstated INF Jed Lowrie from the 15-day disabled list and had him hitting fifth in the batting order. ... Oakland recalled RHP Zach Neal from Triple-A Nashville to make Wednesday's start. The A's optioned LHP Daniel Coulombe and 3B Max Muncy to Nashville. ... Seattle sent SS Chris Taylor back to Triple-A Tacoma and recalled INF Luis Sardinas. Taylor had two costly errors in his only start since being called up Sunday, while Sardinas returns to the team after his required 10 days with Tacoma. ... Mariners CF Leonys Martin was in the leadoff spot for the fourth game in a row Wednesday. LF Norichika Aoki, the former leadoff hitter, settled in at No. 9 the past two nights. ... Both teams have Thursday off. Seattle hosts the Minnesota Twins in a three-game series that begins Friday, while the A's return home to host the Detroit Tigers.

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