SEATTLE — Logan Morrison’s trot around the bases and celebration at home plate was a release of frustration for the Seattle Mariners.
After losing two straight games in the opponent’s final at-bat, the Mariners got to turn the tables.
“The way we lost the last two, it was good to come out and kind of do it to them,” Morrison said.
Morrison homered on the first pitch of the 11th inning from Oakland reliever Dan Otero, and the Mariners rallied to beat the Athletics 4-3 on Friday night.
Coming off a road trip that included five one-run losses and having dropped six of seven overall, the Mariners scored twice in the seventh to pull even, got six scoreless innings of relief from their bullpen and capped a needed victory with Morrison’s deep shot to right-center field.
Otero (2-2) had just finished his warmup pitches and left a 91 mph pitch over the middle of the plate to open the inning. Morrison didn’t miss, hitting his fifth homer of the season for Seattle’s first game-ending homer since Kyle Seager in April 2014 against Houston.
Morrison had been robbed a few times earlier in the season of potential home runs. No one was going to catch this one.
“I was able to get something over the middle of the plate and was able to do some damage,” Morrison said. “If that didn’t go I was probably just going to quit.”
Seattle rallied from a 3-1 deficit, scoring twice with two outs in the seventh inning on consecutive RBI doubles from Brad Miller and Robinson Cano to draw even.
The Mariners also got a stellar effort from their bullpen that had struggled of late. Carson Smith (1-1) allowed just one baserunner pitching the 10th and 11th innings as Seattle relievers allowed one hit in six scoreless innings of relief.
“I’ve said this before, I love my guys. We’ve had some ups and downs but I think in the end talent will come to the top,” Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said. “It always does over the course of a 162-game schedule. I believe in these guys and I believe in what they can accomplish.”
The Mariners rallied after Oakland starter Sonny Gray was lifted following six innings and having thrown 104 pitches. Seattle scored twice with two outs in the seventh starting with Miller’s RBI double off Evan Scribner that scored Dustin Ackley to get to 3-2. Cano followed with his first career hit in seven at-bats against Fernando Abad, pulling a double just fair down the right field line to score Miller.
“Obviously I want to go deeper into that game but they did a really good job of fouling pitching and working counts,” Gray said.
Josh Reddick hit a two-run homer for Oakland in the fifth inning, but the A’s managed just three baserunners the rest of the way — one hit batter, one walk and one reaching on an error.
Reddick’s homer was his fifth of the season and gave the A’s a 3-1 lead. Billy Butler also had a two-out RBI single in the third inning.
MISSED OPPORTUNITY
Oakland had a chance to take the lead in the eighth. Pinch-hitter Billy Burns opened the inning by getting hit on the foot with a Charlie Furbush breaking ball. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and reached third with one out after Reddick’s deep fly out. Furbush intentionally walked Butler and struck out Stephen Vogt looking for the second out. Mark Lowe replaced Furbush and got pinch-hitter Mark Canha to ground into a force out and strand Burns at third.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: LHP Sean Doolittle (left shoulder strain) threw to hitters during pregame on Friday for the first time since being shut down during spring training. … Ben Zobrist (knee) will begin taking batting practice when the A’s return home next week.
Mariners: RHP Tom Wilhelmsen was activated from the 15-day DL (hyperextended elbow) without needing a rehab assignment. Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said Wilhelmsen threw so well in his simulated game earlier this week he didn’t need the rehab outing in the minors.
UP NEXT
Athletics: RHP Jesse Hahn (1-2) looks to regain his form from earlier in the season. Hahn is 0-1 with an 8.10 ERA in his last two outings since missing a start with a blister on his pitching hand.
Mariners: LHP J.A. Happ (2-1) has been Seattle’s most consistent starter not named Felix Hernandez. But Happ struggled in his last start against Houston giving up six earned runs.
