by Paul Gackle

OAKLAND — After tagging Felix Hernandez for three late-inning runs, the A’s coughed up another lead at the O.co Coliseum on Wednesday, falling to the Seattle Mariners 6-4 in 10 innings in the first game of a doubleheader.

Southpaw reliever Fernando Abad surrendered his first run of the season in 15 outings when Robinson Cano singled in outfielder Michael Saunders in the top of the eighth inning, tying the game at 4-4.

The bullpen has been an issue for the A’s throughout the season. The team leads the American League in blown saves (six) and Manager Bob Melvin has shuffling his bullpen trying to find a winning formula

Saunders also scored the game-winning run for the Mariners with two outs in the 10th after Justin Smoak hit a high chopper to first that a leaping Daric Barton couldn’t come down with.

Ryan Cook (0-1), who surrendered a leadoff single to Saunders in the 10th, took the loss for the A’s, while Yoervis Medina (2-1) picked up the win for the Mariners.

The A’s rallied back from a 3-1 deficit in the 7th when Eric Sogard, Gentry, John Jaso and Brandon Moss strung together hits off Hernandez, chasing him from the game by scoring three runs.

The bats hit Hernandez hard all day, collecting 11 hits off the Mariners ace in 6 1/3 innings

Dan Straily put together a quality start for the A’s, surrendering three earned runs over six innings of work after giving up 14 earned runs in his previous 19 1/3 innings pitched.

Straily’s two big mistakes were home runs to Corey Hart — on his first pitch of the second — and to Mike Zunino in the fifth. The right-hander has now allowed the most home runs in the American League this season.

“It’s got to stop — I know that,” Straily said. “But I’m not going to say it’s a concern. There’s nothing I can really do to change it, just move forward and have a short memory.”

Coco Crisp left the game with a strained neck in the fourth inning after crashing into the wall at full speed in right-center field, robbing Kyle Seager of an extra-base hit.

“One heck of a catch,” Straily said. “Just the ability to hold onto that ball, running and hitting that post out there, running into the pad. That has to be tough to just hold on to that — he’s a tough guy.”

Paul Gackle covers all A’s home Wedesday and Thursday day games on http://www.sportsradioservice.com