Seattle 3 at Athletics 2 - Recap

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma pitched 6 2/3 strong innings for his career-high tying 15th victory, and Norichika Aoki and Mike Zunino hit solo home runs as the Seattle Mariners defeated the Oakland Athletics 3-2 on Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum.

The Mariners (73-68) won their third straight game and moved to within 3 1/2 of Detroit and Baltimore for the second wild-card playoff spot in the American League.

Iwakuma (15-11) ended his career-high tying four-game losing streak and had his fourth quality start in his past five outings. He allowed two runs on seven hits, struck out five and walked one, winning for the first time since Aug. 13 at Oakland.

A's rookie right-hander Daniel Mengden (1-7) allowed two runs on five hits over five innings and exited trailing 2-1. Mengden struck out six and walked two in his best outing since June 27, when he held the Giants to two runs over 7 2/3 innings for his only win of the season.

Mengden fell to 0-6 at the Coliseum and set an Oakland record for the longest career-opening home losing streak.

Rookie catcher Bruce Maxwell had a career-high three hits in three at-bats with an RBI double for the A's. Rookie second baseman Joey Wendle, leading off for the first time in his major league career, went 2-for-4 and drove in a run.

The Mariners, who struck out 12 times, held a 2-1 lead through six innings, but Zunino made it 3-1 with a leadoff blast to center field in the seventh off reliever Daniel Coulombe. Zunino launched Coulombe's 1-1 fastball for his 10th home run of the season.

Oakland answered with a run in the bottom half when Max Muncy walked with one out and Maxwell brought him home with a two-out double to center, ending Iwakuma's night.

Dan Altavilla came on to get the third out in the seventh. Steve Cishek pitched a perfect eighth with two strikeouts, and Edwin Diaz a 1-2-3 ninth for his 14th save.

Seattle's Nelson Cruz, who entered the game hitting .404 with four extra-base hits against Oakland this season, had an RBI double in four at-bats.

The Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Robinson Cano worked a two-out walk and scored on Cruz' double off the right-center field wall. Cruz fouled off six straight pitches before rippling Mengden's 13th pitch of the at-bat for his 22nd double of the season.

Aoki extended Seattle's lead to 2-0 with a leadoff homer in the third. Aoki launched Mengden's first-pitch fastball over the wall in right center for his second home run of the season.

After Aoki homered, the Mariners loaded the bases with two outs, but Mengden struck out Leonys Martin on three pitches to end the inning.

Oakland cut Seattle's lead to 2-1 in the fifth. Muncy blooped a single with one out, Maxwell grounded an opposite-field single to left with two outs, and Wendle grounded an RBI single to center.

NOTES: A's RHP Fernando Rodriguez had right shoulder surgery to repair two torn tendons Friday in Chicago. Rodriguez had been on the 15-day disabled list since July 4 with a strained right shoulder. He is expected to be able to resume throwing in four months. ... Mariners RHP Tom Wilhelmsen (lower-back spasms) is expected to be activated from the disabled list Saturday, manager Scott Servais said Friday. Wilhelmsen has been on the 15-day DL since Aug. 27. Wilhelmsen has gone 0-1 with a 3.20 ERA in 22 relief appearances for the Mariners. ... Mariners C Steve Clevenger, who has been on the disabled list since June 30 with a fractured metacarpal bone in his right hand, has been shut down because of soreness in his right elbow, Servais said. Clevenger had gone to Double-A Jackson in hopes of playing some rehab games, but he returned to Seattle to get treatment on his throwing elbow. ... A's LHP Sean Manaea (strained upper back), who hasn't made a start since Aug. 29, will pitch a three-inning bullpen session Saturday. If all goes well, he's expected to return to the rotation during the A's upcoming seven-game road trip, which begins Monday at Kansas City.