Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea throws to the Seattle Mariners line up in the fifth inning at T Mobile Park in Seattle on Wed Jun 2, 2021 in Seattle (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (33-25) met the Seattle Mariners (28-29) at the T-Mobile Park in Seattle Wednesday night. It was the inaugural Lou Gehrig Day. MLB had the day to recognize efforts to combat ALS. The A’s sent lefty Sean Manaea to the hill, hoping to get the win. The Mariners’ starter, Chris Flexen, an East Bay kid from Newark, Ca entered the game with a 5-2. Manaea wound up pitching a gem going the distance for a 6-0 victory over the Mariners.

The A’s had not given Manaea a lot of run support this year. The A’s scored three runs in Manaea’s last three starts. A’s manager Bob Melvin wanted Sean to cut down on his pitch count so that he could go deep into the game.

Manaea came through with one of his best performances ever as an Oakland Athletic. Manaea pitched a complete game. He allowed four hits and no runs. The Mariners loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. Manaea got the M’s shortstop, J.P.Crawford to end the inning by hitting into a ground out.

Chris Flexen retired the first six A’s hitters. Things went south for him in the top of the third as the A’s put five runs on the board. Matt Chapman walked to start the rally. Flexen retired Tony Kemp for the first out. The A’s shortstop, Elvis Andrus, lined a double down the left-field line, sending Chapman to third.

Mark Canha followed with a single to drive in Chapman and Andrus. A’s third-base coach, Mark Kotsay, threw up the stop sign, but Andrus ran through it and scored on the play. Flexen retired Jed Lowrie for the second out. Matt Olson singled and scored ahead of Mitch Moreland, who blasted a monster 444-foot blast to centerfield. It was Moreland’s fifth of the year.

The A’s added a run in the top of the ninth to win 6-0.

Game Notes and Stats- With the win, the A’s are 33-25 for the year. They remain 1/2 game ahead of the Houston Astros. Houston beat Boston for the third night in a row. The Mariners are 28-29.

Manaea improved to 4-2 for the season. His line was nine innings pitched, four hits, and no runs. He threw 111 pitches, walking two and striking out eight. The A’s line was six runs, ten hits, and one error.
Chris Flexen took the loss, and his record is now 5-3.

Matt Olson had three hits. Matt Chapman, still struggling at the plate, had a couple of hits. Hopefully, Matt will get his bat going again.

Olson made an unusual double play in the bottom of the eighth. With Jack Mayfield on first, Jake Fraley was thrown out 4-3. Olson noticed Mayfield round second and went a bit too far. Olson threw a strike to Matt Chapman that nailed Mayfield as he scrambled back to the base.

A’s manager Bob Melvin recorded his 800th win since taking over the helm in 2011.
The A’s have a day off Thursday. They went 17 days without a break. They meet the Colorado Rockies in Denver for three games starting Friday night. The game will start at 5:40 pm.