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Seattle Mariners

Mariners Log: Leonys Martin homers in 10th to lift M’s over A’s

Seattle Mariners’ Kyle Seager, left, scores past Oakland Athletics catcher Dustin Garneau after a double from Ben Gamel during the sixth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
By Dave Nichols daven@spokesman.com(509) 459-5441

MARTIN GOES 2 FOR 5 WITH BIG BLAST IN EXTRA INNINGS

What happened: Leonys Martin crushed his second home run since being recalled from the minors in the 10th inning and the Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics 7-6 in the first of an abbreviated two-game series at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California.

With the win, the M’s pulled into a tie for the second wildcard spot in the American League.

Martin slugged a 2-1, 88 mph cutter over Matt Joyce in right field and into the first couple of rows above the high wall in right.

Edwin Diaz gave up a single and a walk with one out in the bottom half, but struck out Chad Pinder and got Matt Chapman to fly to right to end the game.

M’s starter Ariel Miranda had one of his roughest outings of the season. The lefty allowed six runs on five hits and two walks over five innings with six strikeouts and two home runs. With 29 homers allowed, Miranda now leads the A.L. in homers against this season.

Ben Gamel and Nelson Cruz both had a pair of hits, and Gamel knocked in two.

Line Outs

  • The A’s jumped on Miranda right away in the bottom of the first. Rajai Davis led off with a double to left and Marcus Semien walked. Miranda struck out Ryon Healy, but Khris Davis’ fly ball to right center just kept carrying all the way over the fence for his 30th homer of the season, and Miranda’s 28th allowed – tied for the most in MLB.
  • M’s got one back in the third. With one down, Mike Zunino grounded to short, but Semien bounced the throw and Zunino went to second. Leonys Martin singled to left and Zunino moved up, then scored on a groundout by Jean Segura. Martin was stranded when newest Mariner Yonder Alonso struck out to end the inning.
  • Davis struck again in the third. With Healy aboard on a single, he launched a fly ball to the deepest part of cavernous Oakland Coliseum – dead-center field. Jarrod Dyson seemed to overrun it and lose it in the lights as a catchable ball fell five feet behind him. Healy scored and Davis ended up at third with a triple. Davis later scored on a sac fly by Matt Chapman. Ben Gamel made a nice running catch of Mark Canha’s line drive for the third out.
  • With one out in the fourth, Nelson Cruz walked, then was erased on a groundout by Kyle Seager. Gamel followed with a single sending Seager to third, and Dyson plated Seager with an opposite field single to make it 5-2.
  • Miranda was victim of another gopher ball in the fifth, as Healy got to him this time with a blast to center, his 21st.
  • Cruz singled to left with one out in the sixth and went to third on Seager’s single to right. Gamel ripped a double over right fielder Matt Joyce’s head to plate both to make it 6-4.
  • The M’s put runners on the corners with two down in the seventh, as Segura singled to right and Alonso reached on an infield single. Robinson Cano popped out but Cruz lofted a flare over the shortstop and Segura scampered home to make it a one-run game. But Seager swung through a slider to leave Alonso stranded at third.
  • In the eighth, Gamel reached on an error by third baseman Chapman and went to second on the overthrow. He moved up on a groundout by Dyson, then scored on pinch-hitter Danny Valencia’s barely deep enough sac fly to center to tie it up.
  • Segura led off the ninth with a walk by Blake Treinen and went to second on a deep flyout by Alonso. Segura seemed to jam his left shoulder sliding into the bag but stayed in. Cano was walked intentionally, but Cruz struck out and after Seager walked to load the bases, Gamel grounded out to end the threat.
  • Martin crushed an 88 mph cutter for his second homer of the season.

The Takeaway

Martin has hit in seven of 10 games since his exile in the minor leagues ended, including a pair of homers. Think he’s happy to be out of Tacoma? It remains a puzzle why Martin was left to languish most of the season at AAA when lesser players got opportunities in the bigs, but he’s making the most of things now that he’s back.

Tweet of the Day

Players of the Game

Hero: Leonys Martin. 2 for 5, 10th inning home run.

Goat: Robinson Cano. 0 for 4, average down to .269.

Next Game

Seattle Mariners (58-56) at Oakland Athletics (50-63) on Wednesday at 12:35 p.m. at Oakland Coliseum. RHP Yovani Gallardo (5-7, 5.35) faces Jharel Cotton (5-8, 5.48).

What others are saying (and writing)

The M’s rallied last night, with help from Oakland, thus getting Miranda off the hook. He wasn’t very good, again. … Alonso just had to switch clubhouses. … The M’s are frustrating to root for, again. … According to the M’s, Felix Hernandez should miss three to four weeks with bursitis in his shoulder. He missed a lot more than that the last time he had this problem. … Safeco is the safest major league ballpark in which to eat. That’s nice to know.