Athletics 6, Mariners 3
Athletics 6, Mariners 3: Bartolo Colon threw eight strong innings and Yoenis Cespedes hit a pair of two-run homers as visiting Oakland took the series opener at Safeco Field.
Cespedes opened the scoring in the first inning with his 14th blast and capped his third two-homer performance of the month in the ninth to provide insurance for Grant Balfour, who converted his 36th consecutive save for the first-place Athletics. Jed Lowrie and Coco Crisp each hit solo shots as Oakland matched a season high with four home runs.
Colon (10-2) allowed three runs, all on Nick Franklin's homer in the third, and seven hits while striking out four. He escaped a jam in the sixth to preserve a 4-3 lead and retired seven of the last eight batters he faced to improve to 6-0 against American League West rivals.
Hisashi Iwakuma (7-3) gave up four runs in seven innings to take the loss. He surrendered three home runs for the first time in 32 career starts.
Cespedes went deep one out after Seth Smith's single in the first, Lowrie homered in the fourth to tie it at 3-3 and Crisp's ninth of the year in the sixth snapped the deadlock.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Oakland C John Jaso was scratched before first pitch with a left palm abrasion. ... Franklin's homer was the first allowed by Colon in 48 innings. ... Iwakuma had allowed a total of five earned runs in his first seven home starts prior to this one.