Mariners end strong trip with DH split vs. A’s

OAKLAND, Calif. – Even a lackluster finish couldn’t damper what was a successful road trip for the Seattle Mariners.

Fill-in starter Drew Pomeranz shut out Seattle for five innings and the Mariners managed just three hits while losing the nightcap of a doubleheader 2-0 to the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday.

The Mariners overcame a shaky start from ace Felix Hernandez to win the opener 6-4 on Justin Smoak’s two-out single in the 10th inning to assure them of a fourth straight series win and send them home satisfied following a 7-2 road trip that also included stops in New York and Houston.

“To come out of this series 7-2 is just an unbelievable trip in my opinion,” manager Lloyd McClendon said. “Just phenomenal. I was very proud of the team and how they played. We put ourselves in a pretty good position.”

The Mariners have won 10 of 13 games following an eight-game losing streak as they have received strong pitching despite some recent struggles from their ace.

“I think we played great baseball,” catcher Mike Zunino said. “One of those losses is a 2-0 loss and the other one it was in the ninth and a close game. It’s definitely a building block and a good stretch for us. Hopefully, we can carry that home.”

Yoenis Cespedes homered for the second straight day and Craig Gentry scored from first on a single by Jed Lowrie to help the A’s snap a six-game home losing streak.

This was just the second traditional doubleheader in Oakland in the past 16 years, with the other in 2011. The makeup game was necessary because a game was postponed April 4 when the field was unplayable after there was no tarp on it overnight.

Notes

Corey Hart and Zunino hit solo homers for the Mariners in the opener. … Hisashi Iwakuma (1-0) takes the mound for the Mariners today as they open a four-game series against Kansas City.