• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Mariners down Athletics

Apr 7, 2012 - 6:53 AM Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Chone Figgins and Kyle Seager each knocked in two runs, helping the Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics, 7-3, in the opener of a two-game series.

These two teams started the United States leg of their schedules on Friday after kicking off the Major League Baseball season with two games at the Tokyo Dome in Japan in late March.

Ichiro Suzuki and Jesus Montero each drove in a run for the Mariners, who had 13 hits.

"I think you saw a number of our guys put up the type of at-bats that you want to see," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said.

Jason Vargas (1-0) gave up two runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings to pick up his first win of the season. He improved to 1-3 in six games in Oakland. Overall against the A's, Vargas is 4-4 in 11 games (nine starts).

Yoenis Cespedes hit a two-run homer and became the first player in Oakland Athletics history to homer twice in his first three major league games. Since 1918, the only other Athletic to homer twice in his first three games is fellow Cuban, Bert Campaneris.

Brandon McCarthy (0-1) allowed five runs -- two earned -- on seven hits over five full frames. He fell to 2-6 lifetime against Seattle.

"The whole game was very disappointing to me," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "You want to put on a good show. We don't get many crowds like that."

The Mariners scored four runs in the third. Brendan Ryan started the frame with a double off the base of the wall in left-center field. Figgins followed with a bunt down to third baseman Josh Donaldson, whose throw to first hit off Figgins' back. Donaldson was charged with an error and Ryan scored on the play. Dustin Ackley singled and Suzuki walked to load the bases with no outs. After Justin Smoak flied out, Montero knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly. Suzuki stole second and Seager followed with a two-run single to right-center field.

Seattle tacked on another run in the top of the fourth. Michael Saunders led off with a double to center and crossed the plate on Figgins' single up the middle.

But the A's got two runs back in the home fourth. Jonny Gomes walked with two outs and scored on Cespedes' bomb off the suites in left-center field.

"You don't see too many here at night that go that far," Melvin said. "He'll hit them farther than that."

The Mariners scored twice in the sixth to take a 7-2 lead. Jordan Norberto started the inning on the mound for Oakland and gave up consecutive one-out singles to Saunders and Ryan. With runners on the corners, Figgins drove in a run with a bunt single. Ackley followed with a single to load the bases with one out before Suzuki added a sacrifice fly.

Pinch-hitter Seth Smith's RBI single in the eighth accounted for the final margin.

Game Notes

Seattle was 10-9 against the A's last season...The Mariners went 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine, while Oakland went 1-for-7 with RISP and left seven men on.