By Eric Gilmore, The Sports Xchange



OAKLAND, Calif. -- Rookie first baseman Dae Ho-Lee's first home run of the game gave the Seattle Mariners hope they could climb out of an 8-4 hole. His second home run gave them the lead for good.

Lee had the first multi-homer game of his major-league career, Nelson Cruz hit a two-run shot, and the Mariners defeated the Oakland A's 9-8 at the Coliseum on Wednesday, sweeping the three-game series.

Lee, a South Korean who played the past four seasons in Japan's Pacific League, launched a solo home run off reliever Ryan Dull in the top of the sixth inning, just minutes after the A's scored six times in the fifth and knocked Felix Hernandez out of the game.

"When Dae-Ho hit the home run, Cruz and Robby (Cano) said, 'We're going to win this game, we're going to win this game,'" Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "You started hearing it right away. It's contagious."

Leonys Martin reached on a drag bunt, then stole second and raced to third on catcher Stephen Vogt's throwing error. Ketel Marte brought Martin home with a double, cutting Oakland's lead to 8-6.

Then in the seventh, the Mariners scored three more times to take a 9-8 lead. Cruz worked a leadoff walk off left-hander Sean Doolittle. Franklin Gutierrez grounded into a fielder's choice but took second on a wild pitch and scored on Kyle Seager's soft single. Then with two outs, Lee sent a 3-1 pitch from right-hander John Axford (2-1) over the left-field fence for a two-run homer.

Lee has four home runs this season in only 32 at-bats.

"I'm just happy that we won the game," Lee said through an interpreter. "I'm just ready for whatever situation I get. I'll just be ready whenever they call me."

The Mariners won their seventh straight game in Oakland and had their first series sweep of the season, avenging an A's sweep April 8-10 at Seattle. The Mariners hit three home runs against the A's for the second straight game and had 16 hits.

"You get into a four-run lead like that and we have our best (relievers) available for the game, I feel like we're going to win that every time," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "It didn't happen today. Unfortunately that's going to happen from time to time. Would have been a nice game to put away. Just a couple good swings by Lee, strung a few hits together, Seager doinked one in for another hit and the next thing you know we've got another ballgame."

Cruz went 3-for-4 and hit a mammoth homer in the fourth inning off A's rookie left-hander Sean Manaea into the seats to straight-away center above the luxury suites, giving Seattle a 4-2 lead.

"Highlight for the whole season probably," Cruz said. "Just nice to have the victory. It was a great win."

A's shortstop Marcus Semien hit his seventh home run of the season, a solo shot off Hernandez in the third inning.

Manaea gave up four runs on seven hits over five innings in his second career start and got his second no-decision. He struck out six, walked one and blanked Seattle for the first 4 2/3 innings before giving up four runs in the fourth, two of them on Cruz's blast.

"We were trying to beat him inside all day with the fastball," Manaea said. "That pitch I just left out over the plate. He had seen the fastball the previous six or seven pitches so he's probably got the timing down. I should have mixed it up a little bit there."

Hernandez gave up eight runs (four earned) on nine hits and lasted only four innings, matching his shortest outing against the A's in 42 career starts.

"The offense, they got my back, they picked me up today," Hernandez said. "The bullpen was really good, too. That was a great win for us."

Seattle right-hander Mike Montgomery (1-0) blanked the A's on no hits in the sixth and seventh innings. Joel Peralta pitched a perfect eighth, and closer Steve Cishek threw a scoreless ninth for his eighth save in eight chances this season.

NOTES: A's OF Coco Crisp was out of the lineup for a second straight game. He has a sore heel and also had a doctor's appointment Wednesday morning for a "non-baseball medical issue," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "I was going to give him yesterday and today off." ... A's 3B Danny Valencia (hamstring), barring a setback during his rehab game on Wednesday night with Class A Stockton, will travel with the A's to Baltimore on Thursday and be activated from the disabled list Friday when Oakland opens a three-game series with the Orioles, Melvin said. ... Mariners LHP Wade Miley will make his sixth start of the season on Thursday in the opener of a four-game series at Houston. He is 2-2 with a 5.06 ERA and is coming off his first career shutout and complete game in a 6-0 victory over Kansas City on Saturday.