The game was decided before Oakland could settle in. Logan Gilbert dominated through six shutout innings and the Seattle offense struck for nine runs in a 9-1 victory at Sutter Health Park on Tuesday night.
Gilbert (3-4) allowed 5 hits and struck out 6 over 6.0 innings, earning his third win of the season. His ERA stands at 3.69. The right-hander reached 50 career wins in this game, crossing the milestone with his most complete performance of the year.
Rob Refsnyder's three-run homer in the first inning set the tone. Crawford and Naylor scored ahead of Refsnyder's 368-foot blast to left field. Colt Emerson tripled home Young and Pereda in the fourth, then Young scored on Emerson's fielder's choice in the sixth when shortstop Hernaiz committed a throwing error. Julio Rodriguez capped the scoring with a three-run homer in the eighth, bringing home Young and Emerson on a 418-foot drive to left center.
Jeffrey Springs (3-6) absorbed the loss for Oakland, allowing 5 runs over 5.0 innings. Springs gave up 6 hits and struck out 7, but 3 of his runs were unearned. His ERA is 4.07. The Athletics managed just one run in the ninth when Heim scored on McNeil's double-play grounder.
Seattle extended its winning streak to two games and improved to 27-29. Oakland fell to 27-28 with its second straight loss. Crawford went 3-for-5 and is 10 runs away from 500 career runs scored.