A's end Mariners' playoff bid with 10-inning win
SEATTLE -- Second baseman Joey Wendle, Oakland's No. 9 hitter, capped a four-hit night with an RBI double in the top of the 10th inning, breaking an 8-8 tie and ending the Seattle Mariners' postseason hopes with a 9-8 victory.
Wendle's one-out double to center field scored pinch-runner Chad Pinder on a night when the Mariners rallied from deficits in both the seventh and eighth innings before falling short in extra innings.
The loss left Seattle (86-75) two games behind the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays in the American League wild-card standings with one to play.
Oakland leadoff hitter Marcus Semien had four hits, including the go-ahead, RBI double in the top of the eighth inning, giving the A's an 8-7 lead.
Semien broke a 7-7 tie with a two-out, ground-rule double that scored Wendle from third base. Wendle, who had reached on a single, moved to third on a two-base throwing error from reliever Steve Cishek while trying to keep Wendle from leading off first. That ended up being a crucial error, as Wendle had to hold up at third base on the ground-rule double had he been running from first base.
Seattle came right back with a two-out rally in the bottom of the eighth. Pinch-hitter Mike Freeman started the rally with a double up the left-field line, then he came around to score when defensive replacement Ben Gamel delivered an RBI single to right, tying the score 8-8.
Oakland's Khris Davis had two hits, including his 42nd home run of the season, to give the A's a 7-4 lead in the top of the seventh.
Seattle bounced back on a Robinson Cano RBI single and Cruz's two-run homer, tying the score 7-7 in the bottom of the inning.
Cano also hit a big home run that gave Seattle life in the bottom of the fifth. Cano hit his 39th home run of the season and his third in two nights to pull the Mariners within 5-4 in the fifth, but Oakland tacked on two runs on a Wendle RBI single and Davis' seventh-inning homer.
Oakland had 16 hits, six of which came during a four-run third that saw the A's turn an early 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 lead.
Wendle went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored, and Semien had two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored on a 4-for-5 night. Davis went 2-for-4 with the home run and two RBIs, scoring twice.
Cano led the Mariners' offense with two hits, three RBIs and the home run. Cruz delivered the biggest hit with a two-run homer that tied the score 7-7 in the seventh.
Seattle's final rally came up short, despite a leadoff single from Gamel in the bottom of the 10th. Gamel ended up getting stranded on third base when Kyle Seager flied out to shallow center field for the final out of the game.
Oakland closer Ryan Madson (6-7) picked up the win and Seattle closer Edwin Diaz (0-4) took the loss after giving up the Wendle double in the 10th.
NOTES: Oakland RF Danny Valencia (neck) was back in the lineup after sitting out Friday night's game as a late scratch. ... With a win, the Mariners would have match the seventh-most wins in team history with 87.