Felix Hernandez made just two costly mistakes in eight innings, Nelson Cruz hit his 39th home run of the season and drove in three runs, and the Seattle Mariners beat the visiting Oakland Athletics, 8-2, on Wednesday.
Seattle closed out its brief homestand with a bounce-back performance from Hernandez, who was knocked around in his last start against the Chicago White Sox.
Hernandez (15-8) allowed a home run to Billy Burns on the first pitch of the game and a solo home run to Brett Lawrie on the first pitch of the seventh inning. Oakland’s only other hit against Hernandez was a soft single by Billy Butler in the fifth.