The Seattle Mariners Kyle Lewis is congratulated by teammates after hitting a two run fifth inning home run in the first game of the doubleheader on Mon Sep 14th at T-Mobile Field in Seattle (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s arrived in Seattle to play a doubleheader with the Mariners before moving on to Denver to play two games with the Colorado Rockies. Just as the Portland, San Francisco, and Oakland, Seattle was covered with smoke from the forest fires in the western states. The air quality number was over 200. Major League Baseball had to decide on whether or not to postpone the game. They elected to play the game.

The A’s scored one in the second and four in the fourth to lead 5-0. A’s starter lefty Jesus Luzardo was pitching well. He gave up a solo homer in the fourth and then three runs in the bottom of the fifth as the M’s crept to within one run of tying the game. A’s manager, Bob Melvin, pulled Luzardo with two outs in the fifth. Yusmeiro Petit recorded the final out.

The Mariners put the game away in the sixth. Joakim Soria was on the hill for Oakland. With two out and a man on first, M’s designated hitter, Tim Lopes, doubled to drive in Phillip Irvin with the tying run. For Lopes, it was his third double of the game. Soria then walked the next three hitters to force in the M’s sixth run of the game.
The M’s brought in Yoshihisa Hirano to close out the game. He did his job and retired the side to preserve the win for the M’s.

Game Notes- The A’s line was five runs, six hits, no errors. The M’s line was six runs, nine hits, and two errors. Lefty Marco Gonzalez was the winning pitcher. Joakim Soria took the loss.
Luzardo pitched four and 2/3rds innings. He allowed four runs, seven hits, and three home runs. He struck out seven and did not walk a batter.
Marcus Semien led the A’s offense. He had two hits and drove in four with a single and a three-run homer.

The A’s dropped to 29-18 with the loss. The youthful Mariners now have won eight of the last eleven games and are 22-25. They trail the Houston Astros by one game in the race for the second spot in the AL West.

The A’s play game two of the doubleheader at 5:10 pm Monday