Athletics 3 - 2 Mariners
Final/10
  for this game

A's top Mariners as Rodney falters

Sep 14, 2014 - 6:45 AM Seattle, WA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Oakland Athletics took advantage of Fernando Rodney's wildness in the 10th inning to record a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners in a key late-season matchup from Safeco Field.

Rodney (1-6) issued four walks in the top of the 10th, the last coming to Jed Lowrie with the bases loaded that brought in the eventual winning run and sent the Mariners a game behind Kansas City for the American League's second Wild Card.

"It was tough to find the strike zone," Rodney said.

The A's, who halted a three-game skid and dropped a 4-2 decision to Seattle in Friday's opener of this three-game set, are one game ahead of the Royals for the top Wild Card.

Coco Crisp greeted Rodney by working a seven-pitch walk to lead off the 10th and was promptly pushed to second on Sam Fuld's sacrifice bunt. After Josh Donaldson was given an intentional free pass, Rodney walked Alberto Callaspo on five pitches to load the bases.

The Seattle closer briefly rebounded to strike out Brandon Moss, but Lowrie took four straight balls to force in the go-ahead run.

Sean Doolittle then set the Mariners down in order to record his 21st save. Luke Gregerson (5-4) earned the win after tossing a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth.

An expected duel between Seattle ace Felix Hernandez and Oakland's Sonny Gray did in fact materialize, with Hernandez keeping the A's off the board over the first five innings while protecting a 1-0 lead.

"Sonny was terrific," A's manager Bob Melvin said.

The Mariners were able to get to Gray in the third, as James Jones stroked a leadoff triple and came around on Chris Taylor's single up the middle.

Donaldson pulled Oakland even in the sixth by hammering a Hernandez changeup into the seats in left, and the A's struck again in the seventh to briefly move ahead.

Josh Reddick doubled with one out and Eric Sogard came through with a clutch two-out single that knocked in a run for a 2-1 Oakland edge.

The Mariners quickly tied it, however, as Robinson Cano led off the bottom of the seventh by taking Gray's pitch over the wall in right for his 14th homer of the year.

Gray worked eight innings in all, permitting two runs on five hits while striking out seven. Hernandez fanned eight over seven frames while surrendering a pair of runs.

Game Notes

Hernandez made his 300th career start, joining Jamie Moyer as the only players in Mariners history to reach that milestone ... Sogard recorded three of Oakland's eight hits ... The Mariners had only five hits, two of which came from Jones ... Donaldson entered the game just 5-of-30 lifetime against Hernandez.






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