By Matthew T.F. Harrington
AP photo: There’s a celebration going on after the Oakland A’s defeat the Seattle Mariners at the Oakland Coliseum on Friday night
OAKLAND, Calif. – One of the coolest teams in baseball managed to down the hottest team in the American League Friday night when the Oakland Athletics bested the visiting Seattle Mariners 6-3 at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s, winners of just four of their last ten entering play, snapped a six game win streak for Seattle. The Mariners came into play winners in eight of their last ten games.
“They’re a very hot team,” said A’s manager Bob Melvin on his Friday foes. “They’ve won six in a row and put themselves back in the thick of the Wild Card race. They’ve transformed their bullpen, they got some guys at the deadline they can mix-and-match. You never really feel at ease at any part of their lineup. They’re a good team, it was a good win for us.”
Sean Manaea picked up his first win since June 29th, Khris Davis his 28th homerun of the year and Yonder Alonso knocked in a pair of runs to down the surging Mariners (60-54). Marcus Semien went four-for-four and Ryan Madson converted his 25th save for the Athletics (52-64).
The A’s scored three runs in the first, with catcher Stephen Vogt knocking in the first run before Davis’ two-run shot. Davis curled a Joe Wieland offering fair down the right field line for his 28th homer, a new career best, good for a 3-0 A’s lead.
“Nobody hits the ball down the right field line like that as a right-handed hitter,” said Melvin. “He really doesn’t even hit (the ball) all the way. Guys just don’t do that. He’s opposite field power is similar to a guy like (Miguel) Cabrera.”
The lead looked like it would be safe in Manaea’s hands, with the rookie south paw firing four innings of no-hit ball including three inning-ending double plays.
“I would have wanted to avoid a fourth time,” said Manaea. “But I would have taken it.”
The twin killings helped offset Manaea’s issues with finding the plate, with the lefty issuing three walks over the first three frames.
“My body felt good,” said Manaea. “It wasn’t a mechanics thing either. The ball just wasn’t coming out of my hand right.”
A fifth inning mistake over the plate, not off it, to Mariners’ third baseman Kyle Seager would prove costly for the “Throwin’ Samoan”. With a full count, Seager ruined Manaea’s date with history, crushing a line driver homer to pull Seattle within two at 3-1.
The Mariners would get to Manaea again in the sixth, opening the inning with a Ketel Marte single. Left fielder Shawn O’Malley tripled him home, then was brought home on a Franklin Gutierrez sacrifice fly to tie the game. Manaea would finish off the inning, turning the game over to the pen after just 75 pitches.
“It’s not often that we’ve seen his command off,” said Melvin. “That’s why I took him out when I did. It’s not that I want to cut him short this late in the year as far as pitches. We had a rested bullpen. He battled. These are the type of learning experiences that are good for him”
A rally in the bottom of the inning put Manaea (4-7, 4.57 ERA) in line for his first victory since the Bay Bridge Series at the end of June. Over his six starts since the 7-1 win over the Giants, Manaea has given up more than three runs only twice while receiving 20 runs of support from his offense.
Friday they would supply six runs, picking up another three in the sixth inning after the trio of scores to open the game. The A’s loaded the bases off Seattle starter Joe Wieland (0-1, 10.80 ERA) with no outs then scored two runs on Yonder Alonso’s single to chase the rookie making his first start of the 2016 season.
“The last three weeks his probably swung the bat better than anybody we have, him and Billy Butler,” said Melvin of Alonso. “He’s coming up big in situations. We win a game one to nothing the other night and he knocks in that run. He’s putting together some good at bats with guys on base and being very productive.”
Danny Valencia greeted reliever Drew Storen to the game by singling on the first pitch he saw, plating the sixth run of the game charged to Wieland.
The A’s wouldn’t score again off the Mariners pen, but they wouldn’t have to thanks to the work of relievers Liam Hendriks, Ryan Dull and closer Ryan Madson. Hendriks dominated in his inning of work, fanning three, while Dull surrendered just one hit and no runs during his frame. Ryan Madson went 1-2-3, popping out Dae-Ho Lee to end the game.
Oakland will look to make another rookie a winner for the first time in a number of starts in Saturday’s contest at the Coliseum. Kendall Graveman takes the hill looking for his first win since notching a third-straight decision on Independence Day. The ground ball pitcher has had mixed results since then, allowing four runs or more in five of eight outings. He’ll be opposed by Hisashi Iwakuma.
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