Winker homers again and drives in 3, Mariners blank A’s 9-0
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Jesse Winker homered for the second straight day, Cal Raleigh also connected and the Seattle Mariners won consecutive games for the first time in more than two weeks by routing the Oakland Athletics 9-0 Wednesday night.
J.P. Crawford doubled twice and drove in two runs. Julio Rodríguez added two hits and scored twice for Seattle, which had dropped seven of nine before starting its road trip with a pair of victories against the worst team in the majors.
The A’s fell to 23-47 and used a position player on the mound. Oakland infielder Sheldon Neuse worked a 1-2-3 ninth in his first career pitching appearance.
George Kirby (2-2) allowed five hits and had six strikeouts in six scoreless innings to continue a string of strong outings by Mariners starters while ending his own three-game skid. Seattle’s rotation has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 11 consecutive games, the team’s longest stretch since a franchise-record 12-game streak in 2014.