A's send slumping Mariners to last place in AL West
SEATTLE — Seth Brown and Elvis Andrus both homered off reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray, and the Oakland Athletics beat Seattle 4-2 on Wednesday, dropping the Mariners into last place in the AL West.
Oakland took two of three in the series and leapfrogged the Mariners in the division standings. While it's still only 45 games into the season, Seattle (18-27) has lost eight of 10 and is quickly trending toward irrelevance in a season that started with expectations of ending the longest playoff drought in the major leagues.
Ray tied his season high with 10 strikeouts, but allowed a home run for the fifth straight start. Brown was the first to get to Ray with a solo shot in the fourth inning. Brown entered the day with one hit all season against left-handed pitchers, but doubled off Ray in his first at-bat and followed the next time up with his third home run.
Andrus added a two-run homer in the sixth, his first of the season. Andrus hit a towering fly ball that off the bat appeared to be a standard fly out but didn't stop carrying until left-fielder Jesse Winker ran out of room at the wall.
Luis Barrera added a two-out RBI single in the ninth inning.
Ray (4-5) pitched out of trouble with key strikeouts in the second and fifth innings with runners at third base. He's struck out at least eight in four straight starts, but is the first Seattle pitcher this season with 10 home runs allowed.
Oakland's Paul Blackburn continued his strong start to the season despite control issues. Blackburn (5-0) allowed one hit over 5 1/3 innings before giving way to the Oakland bullpen. Blackburn's day was cut short due to walks, giving up a career-high five, but lowered his ERA to 1.70.
Dany Jiménez was the last of four relievers pitching the ninth for his 10th save.
J.P. Crawford had Seattle's only hit off Blackburn with a single in the second inning. Luis Torrens had a two-out RBI single in the seventh inning that scored Dylan Moore, and Ty France singled and scored on Zach Jackson's wild pitch with two outs in the eighth.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Athletics: OF Ramón Laureano was set to make his return after getting hit on the hand last weekend against the Angles, but was a late scratch. Laureano was in the original starting lineup in right field but Oakland made a late switch and Barrera started in his place.
UP NEXT
Athletics: RHP Frankie Montas (2-4, 3.55) will start the opener of a four-game series in Texas. Montas left his last start after 1 2/3 innings after getting hit on the hand by a line drive. Montas has lost three straight decisions.
Mariners: After a day off, Seattle opens a three-game series with Houston on Friday. RHP Chris Flexen (1-6, 4.98) will start the opener. After pitching well but getting little run support to open the season, Flexen has struggled allowing 14 earned runs in his past three starts.