Mariners belt 3 homers, beat Athletics 4-3

SEATTLE (AP) — Daniel Vogelbach, Tim Beckham and Mitch Haniger homered, Roenis Elias pitched out of a bases-loaded jam and the Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics 4-3 Tuesday night.

Haniger’s deep two-run shot into the second deck in left field in the fifth inning broke a 2-2 tie, and Elias stopped a bases-loaded threat with two outs in the seventh with a strikeout, as the Mariners sent the A’s to their third straight loss, and fourth in six games.

Mike Leake (3-4) earned the win with an efficient start that was marred by a two-run error. Leake gave up five hits and struck out six. He was chased after 6 2/3 innings when Oakland cut it to 4-3 on an RBI single by Robbie Grossman in the seventh inning.

Vogelbach led off the second inning with a line-drive home run to right field, his 11th of the season, before Beckham hit his seventh homer of the season two batters later. The solo shots gave the Mariners a 2-0 lead that stood up until Leake issued his only walk, to Ramon Laureano, with one out in the fifth.

Robbie Grossman singled one out later and the Mariners compounded those mistakes with their 46th error of the season on a routine throw. Beckham, playing out of position at second base while Dee Gordon recuperates from injury, bounced the throw to first baseman Edwin Encarnacion on Marcus Semien’s weak grounder for what could have been the third out.

Stephen Piscotty doubled on a weak pop fly to right field to lead off the seventh for Oakland, and Grossman chased Leake with a single that made it 4-3. Seattle reliever Corey Gearin allowed a single and a four-pitch walk to load the bases. But Elias entered and struck out pinch-hitter Chad Pinder on three pitches to end the threat and went on to earn his fifth save.

A’s starter Brett Anderson (4-3) gave up just six hits and struck out five in six innings. The Mariners hit him hard, sending several balls to the warning track in addition to their three homers. Seattle improved to 15-7 when hitting at least two home runs and has scored more than half its runs (125 of 240) on its league-best 82 homers.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners 3B Kyle Seager will play third base Wednesday for the first time since hand surgery in a rehab assignment for Triple-A Tacoma in Las Vegas. Seager was 1 of 4 as the designated hitter in his first appearance for the club on Tuesday. He’s eligible to return from the injured list on May 25. . Servais expects 2B Dee Gordon to return to the starting lineup on Thursday against Minnesota. Gordon, hit by a pitch on the right hand May 9 against the Yankees, was available to pinch hit in Tuesday’s game. . Utility player Dylan Moore fielded the ball and was expected to take batting practice Tuesday for the first time since a wrist contusion caused by a pitch put him on the injured list May 10. He’s eligible to return May 20.

UP NEXT

Athletics: Oakland takes Wednesday off before sending RHP Chris Bassitt (1-1, 2.55) to the mound against Detroit. The A’s have scored two or fewer runs in three of Bassitt’s four starts this season.

Mariners: Seattle takes Wednesday off before sending RHP Erik Swanson (1-4, 6.35) to the mound against Minnesota. Swanson was brought in to replace injured pitcher Wade LeBlanc and will likely stay in the rotation now that Felix Hernandez is expected to miss four to six weeks with a right lat strain.