Brandon Allen and Scott Sizemore drove in runs for the A’s, who won their second straight following a five-game losing streak.
Guillermo Moscoso (7-8) snapped a two-game losing streak despite allowing his first earned run in 252/3 innings against AL West opponents. He improved to 5-2 with a 2.62 ERA at home this season.
Franklin Gutierrez and Brendan Ryan drove in runs for the Mariners, who lost for the sixth time in eight games.
Jason Vargas (7-13) fell to 1-8 over his last 11 starts.
Moscoso, who retired the final 16 batters he faced, completed seven innings, allowing two runs — one earned — and five hits. He walked one and struck out six. Moscoso went at least seven innings for just the second time in nine starts since the All-Star Break.
Vargas, who was 6-5 after throwing his third shutout of the season on July 1, lasted five innings. He allowed five runs and six hits, walking four and striking out four. Vargas has given up 22 earned runs over his last 212/3 innings.
The Mariners scored single runs in the first and second. Ichiro Suzuki led off with a single and reached third on Michael Taylor’s fielding error. Gutierrez grounded out to plate Suzuki. Ryan added an RBI single in the second.
Matsui’s three-run double in the third put the A’s in front for good. Allen added a run-scoring single.
Sizemore had an RBI single in the fifth and Pennington’s seventh home run in the seventh made it 9-2. Matsui scored on a wild pitch earlier in the inning.
SHORT HOPS
RHP Brandon McCarthy makes the start for the Athletics on Saturday. He is 6-2 with a 3.77 ERA in nine starts since the All-Star break. He is 1-4 career against the Mariners. … A’s IF Jemile Weeks extended his season-best hitting streak to 10 games with his third-inning single. ... Matsui’s walk in the fifth ended a career-tying run of 16 consecutive games without a walk. ... Mariners OF Ichiro Suzuki has a lifetime .363 batting average in Oakland, the highest in the park by any hitter. ... Seattle OF Casper Wells snapped an 0-for-28 streak with a second-inning double. ... RHP Michael Pineda is Seattle’s Saturday starter. He has 17 quality starts, the most by a Mariners’ rookie since 1992. He leads all major league rookies with 156 strikeouts. Pineda is 2-0 in three starts against the A’s.
ON TAP
Seattle plays at Oakland in second game of the series at 1:05 p.m. It will be televised by Root Sports. Probable starting pitchers: Brandon McCarthy (7-7, 3.64 ERA) vs. Michael Pineda (9-8, 3.71).
