Mariners 4, Athletics 0: Jesus Montero hit his first home run and drove in three runs, and Hector Noesi held the A's to five hits over eight scoreless innings to help Seattle even the series at a game apiece.
Making only his fourth major-league start, Noesi set career highs for innings and strikeouts, punching out six A's over eight innings. He got into trouble in the eighth, giving up a single to Cliff Pennington and a ground-rule double to Jemile Weeks, but he stranded both by getting Coco Crisp to pop out to end the inning.
Closer Brandon League pitched a scoreless ninth in a non-save situation for Seattle.
Montero staked Noesi to a 1-0 lead with a solo homer in the second, and he capped a three-run sixth inning with a two-run double down the right-field line.
After allowing Montero's homer, A's starter Tommy Milone retired 12 straight before the Mariners broke it open in the sixth. He gave up consecutive singles to Brendan Ryan and Chone Figgins, then walked Dustin Ackley and Justin Smoak to force home a run ahead of Montero's two-run double.
Milone (1-1) allowed four runs on four hits over six innings. He struck out five.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The loss marked the first time in Milone's brief major-league career that his team has lost a game he started. His squad had won his six previous starts. … The Mariners have won four of six meetings between the AL West rivals this season. … Noesi and Montero both came over from the Yankees as part of the offseason trade that sent Michael Pineda to New York.
Oakland | Seattle | |
Tom Milone | Player | Hector Noesi |
Loss | W/L | Win |
6.0 | IP | 8.0 |
5 | Strikeouts | 6 |
4 | Hits | 5 |
6.00 | ERA | 0.00 |
Oakland | Seattle | |
Cliff Pennington | Player | Jesus Montero |
2 | Hits | 2 |
0 | RBI | 3 |
0 | HR | 1 |
2 | TB | 6 |
.667 | Avg | .667 |