A’s take down Mariners 5-4 on walk-off Homer

Langeliers bomb wins it!

After yesterday’s heartbreaking loss ended a 3-3 road trip for the Oakland Athletics, the 69-68 Seattle Mariners came to town for a three-game series at the Coliseum. Osvaldo Bido took the mound tonight against 27-year-old righty Logan Gilbert for Seattle.

J.P. Crawford walked to start the game. And after a Julio Rodríguez strike-out, Mariners backstop Cal Raleigh homered to get Seattle on the board.

Victor Robles led off the top of the third inning with a double into the left field corner. Two batters later, Julio Rodriguez drove him home with a sac-fly to right for the third run of the game for the Mariners.

Lawrence Butler built his hit streak to twelve games with a double high off the wall in centerfield. Brent Rooker traded places with him with a double of his own to drive in Butler. At the end of three the A’s trailed 3-1. JJ Bleday worked a two out walk, bringing up Shea Langeliers. While Shea fell short yesterday in some key RBI opportunities, he smashed a 3-run homer to left field today to give the A’s a 4-3 lead after three innings.

Bido tossed a 1-2-3 fourth inning to get the A’s back into the dugout quickly. Gilbert has settled in after the big third inning for the A’s and retired seven straight through five. Julio Rodríguez singled to right and promptly stole second. Randy Arozarena legged out an infield hit to Gelof, moving Rodríguez to third with one out. Justin Turner’s RBI single drove in J-Rod and tied the score. Kotsay called to the pen for T.J. McFarland to replace Bido with one out and runners on first and second. McFarland walked pinch hitter Dylan Moore to load the bases. Another pinch hitter, Mitch Garver flied out to left to end the inning but not before the Mariners knotted the score at 4-4.

Grant Holman entered the game in the top of the seventh. He gave up a walk to Julio Rodríguez but left him stranded with two strikeouts to end the inning. The A’s went down in order in the bottom of the seventh, and Michel Otañez entered the game to pitch the Mariners half of the eighth. Justin Turner walked with one out. Jorge Polanco followed with a walk, moving Turner to second. Dylan Moore struck out and with Rivas, who pinch ran for Turner stealing third, Langeliers appeared to have gunned him out at third, but after a Seattle challenge, the call was overturned. Undeterred, Otañez struck out Mitch Haniger on three pitches.

Max Schuemann led off the eighth with a walk. Butler grounded into a force out, erasing Schuemann. Rooker struck out. JJ Bleday ended the inning with a ground out to the pitcher.

Tyler Ferguson entered the game in the ninth for the A’s. A three-pitch strikeout retired Robles for the first out. It took four pitches to strike out Crawford for the second out. That brought up Julio Rodríguez. Ferguson struck out the dangerous J-Rod to end the inning and give the A’s an opportunity to walk it off in the ninth. The Mariners held back their typical closer Andrés Muñoz in lieu of Austin Voth. Langeliers ran the count to 3-2 before launching a monster, game-winning, walk-off homer into the second deck in left field.

The A’s won the first game of homestand 5-4! The series continues tomorrow at 6:40 PDT at the Oakland Coliseum.