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A's top Mariners behind Moss, Gray

Apr 7, 2014 - 1:50 AM Oakland, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Brandon Moss smashed a three-run homer to back a solid start from Sonny Gray, as the Oakland Athletics edged the Seattle Mariners, 6-3, on Sunday in the finale of a rain-shortened three-game set at O.co Coliseum.

Moss' blast tied the game at 3-3 in the third before Josh Donaldson and Jed Lowrie each plated a run in the fifth to give the A's the lead for good.

Gray (1-0) settled in after a shaky first three frames and pitched well with the lead, as the 24-year-old right-hander allowed just three runs -- one earned -- on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts over six innings.

Oakland's bullpen did the rest, as Luke Gregerson pitched a scoreless seventh, Sean Doolittle spun a perfect eighth and Jim Johnson stranded runners on first and second in the ninth to secure his first save with the A's.

Yoenis Cespedes scorched a solo shot in the eighth, while Eric Sogard went 3- for-3 and also scored once for the A's, who took two-of-three from the Mariners to claim the series.

"Everyone is still trying to feel each other out and figure out how to play together," Gray said of his team's 3-3 start to the season. "For the most part we do that very well, there's just a few things here and there and we're only going to get better and better from here on out."

Seattle starter Erasmo Ramirez (1-1) was charged for five runs on seven hits and three walks over four-plus frames. Abraham Almonte, Brad Miller and Justin Smoak had an RBI apiece for the Mariners, who opened the season with a three- game sweep of the Angels.

"He wasn't as sharp (as his first start)," Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said of Ramirez. "I would suspect that he would be much better next time out."

With the game tied 3-3 after 5 1/2 frames, Sogard led off the home half of the fifth with a single to right before Coco Crisp worked a walk.

After a wild pitch from Ramirez moved both runners up a base, Donaldson legged out an infield single, scoring Sogard from third for a 4-3 lead.

Chris Young then replaced Ramirez on the mound and served up a sacrifice fly to Lowrie to extend the margin to 5-3.

Cespedes' solo blast in the eighth accounted for the final margin.

Early on, Seattle pushed a pair of runs across in the second, as Dustin Ackley stroked a one-out single before Michael Saunders reached on first baseman Daric Barton's fielding error.

Following a Mike Zunino line out, Almonte and Miller ripped consecutive RBI singles to give Seattle a 2-0 lead.

The Mariners tacked on a run in the third, as Robinson Cano clubbed a leadoff double, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Smoak's single to center.

The A's answered in the home half of the frame, as Sogard smacked a leadoff single before Lowrie kept the inning alive with a two-out base hit.

After a brief meeting at the mound, Moss jumped on a 2-1 fastball and launched it deep over the wall in right-center field to tie the game at 3-3.

Game Notes

The series was shortened to three games after Friday's contest was postponed due to poor field conditions at O.co Coliseum ... Seattle reliever Dominic Leone made his major league debut in the seventh inning and struck out one while yielding a hit and a walk ... Cano finished 1-for-4 and has hit safely in all six games with Seattle ... Oakland went 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base ... Almonte recorded two outfield assists ... Oakland acquired Johnson from Baltimore on Dec. 2, 2013 in exchange for shortstop Jemile Weeks and minor leaguer David Freitas.