MidValleySports.Com

By Tim Byrnes

The A’s needed a rebound series badly and Monday they went out and took it to the Mariners in Seattle.

JT Ginn began his start rough serving up a home run to Cal Raleigh two batters into the game. After a single and stolen base by Julio Rodriguez, Josh Naylor had an RBI-double to go up 2-0.

Naylor was caught attempting to steal signs and Ginn let him know a response was coming. Playing from behind didn’t allow for it and Naylor hit the next pitch he saw from Ginn for a double, so maybe it was better off left alone.

In the second inning, Mariners Dom Canzone hit a solo shot to increase the lead to 3-0 but Carlos Cortes (2) answered with a solo bomb of his own.

The Athletics tied it up 3-3 in the sixth inning when Nick Kurtz (3) and Shea Langeliers (7) homered back-to-back.

Ginn lasted 5 1/3 innings and was relieved by Hogan Harris (2-0), who finished the sixth and seventh to take the win.

Max Muncy drove in Soderstrom, who doubled earlier, and Lawrence Butler followed with a two-run single in the eighth to bust the game open.

Joel Kuhnel allowed an RBI-double in the ninth but got his fourth save in the 6-4 win.

The A’s secured a series win with a 5-2 victory Tuesday and it began with a Kurtz walk. Kurtz’ 13-game streak with a walk is a franchise record and Soderstrom doubled him in for a rare early 1-0 lead.

Understand, it was just the third first-inning run ALL SEASON for the Athletics!

The Mariners tied the game when they opened the third with back-to-back singles and Naylor had an RBI-sac fly.

Athletics Jeff McNeil hit his first dinger of the year in the fourth inning, adding to his career .450 batting average against starter Luis Castillo, but Raleigh responded by homering in the fifth to knot the game back up at 2-2.

A’s starter Jacob Lopez had foot traffic all game but minimized Seattle to the required solo shot by Cal Raleigh in the fifth inning, and it sucks that Raleigh got his home run swing back against the Athletics.

The sixth inning began with a Soderstrom double and Jacob Wilson added his own to drive in Sodie and go up 3-2.

Langeliers added his eighth home run in the seventh inning, good for fourth in baseball.

Kurtz and Langeliers had back-to-back singles to start the ninth and Sodie was walked intentionally. Wilson made them pay with his second RBI and finalized the game with a 5-2 win.

A series sweep was not to be, but the A’s competed until the end. Kurtz started the game the same way he did Tuesday, with a walk. He leads baseball with 27 walks because pitchers don’t want to give him anything to hit, and he showed fans why in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s game.

After the walk Langeliers singled and Soderstrom drove in Kurtz with a sac-fly. In one of the oddest sequences Cortes hit a line drive back at Seattle pitcher Logan Gilbert that got stuck in his jersey. I had zero clue but it was ruled a dead ball single to load the bases. McNeil followed with his own RBI single for a 2-0 lead but unfortunately A’s starter Aaron Civale picked up where he left off in his last start.

Civale gave up 11 hits in that start and he began this one allowing singles to three of the first four batters, and Randy Arozarena drove in the Mariners first run with a sac-fly.

After Wilson’s RBI-double increased the lead to 3-1, Raleigh homered to close it to 3-2. Naylor chased Civale, starting the sixth with a single and later scored tying the game 3-3.

Seattle went up 4-3 after Crawford singled and a misplayed Raleigh double by Cortes allowed a run on a Rodriguez groundout. Kurtz then hit a dramatic one out, game tying homer in the ninth, only for Kuhnel to blow the game in the bottom half. He allowed three consecutive singles ending with a Naylor walk-off single and a 5-4 defeat.

The A’s (13-12) sit alone atop the AL West!

NEXT: Athletics @ Texas Rangers 4/24 5:05pm PST