Seattle Mariners’ Ty France hits a solo home run on a pitch from Oakland Athletics starting pitcher JP Sears during the first inning at T Mobile Center in Seattle on Thu May 25, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland A’s 3-2 Thursday night at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. The Mariners completed a four-game sweep of the A’s. The A’s starting pitcher, J.P.Sears, had an outstanding outing. Sears went five innings, allowing one run and three hits. Sears struck out three and did not walk a batter. His ERA dropped to 4.70.

Trevor May relieved Sears in the sixth inning. The M’s first baseman, Ty France, who homered in the first, took May deep to tie the game. The Mariners’ starter Logan Gilbert gave up two runs in the first inning. Seth Brown homered to give Oakland an early 2-0 lead. Gilbert was lights out after the first.

In his next seven innings of work, Gilbert allowed one hit. He did not issue the A’s a walk. Closer Paul Sewald did his magic and set the A’s down in order in the ninth.

The A’s took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning. With one out, Ryan Noda doubled. Gilbert struck out Brent Rooker for the second out. The next hitter, Seth Brown, homered to put the A’s ahead 2-0 midway through the first. The Mariners put one on the board in their half of the first.

In his first game after being hit by a pitch Tuesday night, France hit a solo dinger off Sears. France hit a hanging slider for his fourth home run of 2023. France was 0-for-9 against Sears until his home run. For Sears, it was his 11th gopher ball that he has allowed. The A’s lead 2-1.

There was no scoring until the bottom of the sixth. A’s manager Mark Kotsay brought in reliever Trevor May to pitch. Sears allowed the M’s one hit in the four innings after France’s home run. The first Mariner that May faced was France. May hit France with a pitch Tuesday night.

May suffered a bone bruise and had to leave the game. The best revenge for France would be to hit a home run off May. That is what happened. France homered to tie the game. The score is 2-2 after six.

The Mariners scored a run in the bottom of the eighth. Lefty Richard Lovelady was on the hill for the A’s. Lovelady walked leadoff hitter Jose Caballero. It was the first walk issued by the A’s in the game. Lovelady struck out J.P. Crawford for the first out. The next hitter, France, hit a popup that A’s shortstop, Nick Allen, let drop. Allen threw out Caballero at second.

The A’s took a speedy runner off the bases by erasing Caballero at second. It was a smart move, as Julio Rodriguez doubled. France had to stop at third. The A’s issued an intentional walk to Jarred Kelenic to load the bases.

A’s reliever Garrett Acton walked Eugenio Suarez to force in the Mariners’ third run. The Mariners lead 3-2 after eight.
The Mariners brought in closer Paul Sewald to pitch the ninth. Sewald did the job by setting the A’s down to secure the win for Seattle.

Game Notes- With the loss, the A’s are 10-42 for 2023. They have lost eight in a row. The Mariners are 26-24.

The A’s Sears pitched well for Oakland. Sears gave up a home run in the first inning to France and then went four more innings allowing no runs and one hit. Sears threw 59 pitches. Kotsay said Sears did “a nice job.”

The Mariners’ Gilbert gave up a two-run blast to Brown in the first inning. Gilbert retired 15 hitters until Noda singled in the sixth. Gilbert’s line was eight innings, two runs, and three hits.

Noda had two hits, a single and a double. The A’s only other hit was Brown’s home run in the first inning.

The A’s will host the Houston Astros at the Coliseum for three games starting Friday night. The A’s will send James Kaprielian (0-4, 8.68 ERA) to the mound. The Astros will counter with Hunter Brown(4-1, 3.20ERA)

The time of the game was 2:01 and T Mobile crowd for Thursday night in Seattle 19,268.