Moss Is Boss: A's Walk Off Against Seattle
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Brandon Moss was a little worried the ball he hit would stay in the park. He's hit balls like that before that have fallen short in the outfield.
Not this night, a calm, balmy night for the Bay Area.
Moss hit a solo home run over the center-field fence with one out in the ninth inning, lifting the Oakland Athletics over the Seattle Mariners 2-1 on Monday night.
"I was very surprised that ball went out," Moss said. "We've hit a lot of balls at night that would have been out of here last year but stayed in the park. So, yeah, I was worried when I hit it."
A's manager Bob Melvin saw it differently.
"That's a strong man," he said. "He gets into one and there's not a park around he can't hit it out of."
Jarrod Parker (9-6) pitched his first career complete game, allowing eight hits. He struck out eight, did not walk a batter and threw 100 pitches.
"It hasn't really set in it just yet," Parker said. "That's something I've been trying to build toward. When I can get through the early innings with fewer pitches it helps go deeper into games."
Parker improved to 7-0 over his last 15 starts, with an ERA of 2.59 over that span.
"We wanted to get it done the whole game for Parker," Moss said. "He's been pitching outstanding lately. I thought we swung the bats well, a lot better than two runs."
Josh Donaldson drove in a run for the A's, who have won four of five.
Kendrys Morales drove in a run for the Mariners, who have lost four of six.
Carter Capps (2-3) struck out Yoenis Cespedes to open the ninth before Moss drove a 2-1 pitch to the deepest part of the park.
"I watched it about four or five times already and felt like I executed the pitch pretty good," Capps said. "I was trying to throw a strike low and away, and I did. He just got to it."
Mariners starter Aaron Harang gave up a run on five hits over seven innings. He walked one and struck out three.
The A's took a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Josh Reddick and Cespedes singled to open the inning and Donaldson had an RBI grounder.
Morales singled home a run in the seventh to tie it. He then cost the Mariners a chance to take the lead when jogged into third standing up on Justin Smoak's sharp single to right field and was thrown out by Reddick. It was Reddick's 16th assist.
"I didn't realize it. I didn't know he was going to have a chance to throw to third," Morales said. "I was surprised about it. My main thing was thinking just to get to third."
Mariners interim manager Robby Thompson said third base coach Darren Brown was telling him to slide.
"Obviously he should have been sliding," Thompson said. "I think he assumed that maybe Reddick was going to come up and throw the ball to second base. A mistake on his part. That's one guy you don't want to challenge, especially if you're kind of a below-average runner."
In the eighth, Michael Saunders singled and reached third when Parker threw Dustin Ackley's sacrifice bunt down the right-field line. Parker came back to strike out Humberto Quintero and Nick Franklin around a foul out by Brad Miller.
"I wasn't trying to throw the ball away," Parker said. "Instead of getting frustrated, I channeled the energy into making good pitches. That was kind of what I was thinking right there."
NOTES: Harang made his major league debut in Oakland over 11 years ago. Thompson played in his first World Series game in Oakland in 1989. "It's always special coming back to the Bay Area, especially staying over in San Francisco and walking around," Thompson said. "It brings back a lot of memories, no doubt. I spent a lot of time here. Had some good years here." A's manager Bob Melvin and Thompson were teammates in San Francisco. ... Seattle manager Eric Wedge is coming back from a mild stroke, and is expected to be in uniform on Friday in Seattle. ... Mariners OF Michael Morse missed his second straight game with a sore wrist. ... A's OF Coco Crisp was back in the lineup five days after getting a cortisone shot for his sore left wrist. ... A's LHP Brett Anderson will make his next rehab appearance on Thursday in Class A Stockton.
