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 "We played a good game today," Cano said with a shrug after the
Mariners' most important win in more than a decade, "but we've just
got to be ready for tomorrow."
Other than a howl and fist-pump by starting pitcher James Paxton
after he worked his way out of a third-inning jam, there wasn't much
celebrating for the Mariners on Friday night -- despite the
ramifications.
Solo home runs by Cano, Logan Morrison and Kendrys Morales helped
the Mariners beat Oakland while making the American League wild-card
race a whole lot tighter.
Seattle (80-66) moved into a tie with Kansas City for the second
wild-card spot in the American League, and both are just a half-game
behind Oakland.
The Mariners and Oakland play two more games this weekend as the
three teams battle for two wild-card spots.
"It's big-time games right now," Paxton said.
Paxton (6-2) held the A's to two runs -- one earned -- on four hits
over six innings while striking out eight. He got a lot of help from
a Seattle offense that did most of its damage with the long ball.
Cano gave Seattle a 1-0 lead with a solo shot in the first inning,
then Morrison and Morales added homers to help the early advantage
hold up.
"When you get a run on the board (in the first)," Cano said, "it's a
different game."
Closer Fernando Rodney converted his AL-leading 45th save of the
season despite giving up back-to-back singles to open the ninth
inning. Rodney got a popout and two strikeouts to finish off the
A's.
He matched the Mariners' franchise record for saves in a season,
tying the mark Kazuhiro Sasaki set in 2001.
"It's a lot of saves," Rodney said. "We've got 16 games left. I just
have to continue to pitch good."
Cano and Morrison each had two hits in the game, while catcher Mike
Zunino had an RBI double in the second inning to account for the
Mariners' other run.
Oakland (81-66) lost for the third game in a row and has now dropped
12 of its last 15.
"It's a three-game series," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "We lost
the first game. The way we're playing right now, I don't think one
loss is paramount over others. We just have to find a way to win
some games."
Oakland used 20 players in the game, due in large part to losing
catcher Geovany Soto to back spasms in the third inning and putting
designated hitter Derek Norris in the spot. That forced starting
pitcher Jason Hammel to bat in the fourth inning, as the A's lost
their designated hitter when Norris went into the field.
Melvin had another catcher on the roster in rookie Bryan Anderson,
but he didn't want to use him in such a high-pressure situation.
"We had plenty of reinforcements as far as pinch-hitters," Melvin
said.
Hammel (2-6) allowed three earned runs on four hits in five innings
while striking out six. He gave up two of the three home runs and
has now surrendered 13 homers since being traded from the Chicago
Cubs in July.
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Morrison hit his second home run in three games to give Seattle a
3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth. Morrison's solo home run was
the second one surrendered by Hammel on the night.
Cano gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead with a two-out solo home run in
the bottom of the first inning. Cano hit a 1-0 pitch from Hammel
over the left-field fence for his 13th homer of the season.
Seattle went ahead 2-0 on Zunino's RBI double in the second. Third
baseman Kyle Seager led off the inning with a walk and moved to
third on a stolen base and throwing error. After right fielder
Michael Saunders struck out, Zunino popped up to left field, between
outfielder Jonny Gomes and shortstop Jed Lowrie, and hit off the
glove of a sprinting Lowrie's glove, falling fair near the
third-base line.
Oakland finally got to Paxton in the top of the third inning, when
third baseman Josh Donaldson cut the deficit to 2-1 with an RBI
single. Designated hitter Derek Norris followed that with a walk to
load the bases with two outs before Paxton struck out Lowrie to get
out of the jam.
When Soto left the game with back spasms, leaving Norris at catcher,
it forced Hammel to hit in the top of the fourth. The A's starting
pitcher reached base when Seager had a throwing error on his
sacrifice bunt.
Oakland ended up tying the score 2-2 that inning when right fielder
Sam Fuld's sacrifice bunt scored Nate Freiman from third for an
unearned run.
Pinch hitter Billy Burns came in to hit for Hammel in the top of the
sixth. Burns responded by getting his first major league hit with a
one-out single.
NOTES: The A's activated LHP Sean Doolittle from the 15-day disabled
list before Friday's game. Doolittle is 1-3 with a 2.28 ERA out of
the Oakland bullpen this season, but he hasn't pitched since Aug. 23
because of a strained right intercostal muscle. ... The big screen
at Safeco Field was showing the Detroit-Cleveland game during
Friday's batting practice. Both the A's and Mariners have an
interest in that game. Detroit's win not only put the Tigers into
first place, a half-game ahead of Kansas City in the AL Central, but
it moved Seattle into a tie with the Royals for the second wild-card
spot, a half-game behind Oakland. ... Seattle LF Dustin Ackley was
back in the lineup Friday after missing four consecutive games with
bone spurs in his left ankle. Ackley was was batting second in the
Mariners' order. ... Oakland RHP Sonny Gray, who is scheduled to
start Saturday's game, has already faced Seattle three times this
season and five times in his career. But Saturday would mark the
first time he has started against Mariners RHP Felix Hernandez.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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