Mariners leap ahead early, beat Athletics

Julio Rodriguez hit his first home run at T-Mobile Park this season as the Seattle Mariners defeated the visiting Oakland Athletics 8-4 Sunday afternoon.

Mitch Garver and Seby Zavala also homered and Luis Castillo pitched six quality innings for the Mariners, who moved past Texas and into first place in the American League West.

Max Schuemann, Abraham Toro and Brent Rooker went deep for the A's.

Castillo (4-5) gave up two runs on seven hits, with no walks and eight strikeouts.

Oakland starter Alex Wood (1-3) allowed five runs over two innings, though just one of those runs was earned. Wood gave up four hits, walked one and fanned one.

The Mariners scored in the first inning as leadoff hitter Dylan Moore singled, stole second and scored on Garver's two-out single to center.

They added four more runs in the second to take a 5-0 lead.

Ty France reached on a fielding error by Schuemann at shortstop. Luis Urias walked and Zavala advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt. Sam Haggerty grounded a run-scoring single to center and Moore followed with a sacrifice fly. Rodriguez then hit a 1-2 sinker over the fence in straightaway center for just his second homer of the season.

Schuemann hit a solo shot to left with two outs in the fifth to get the A's on the scoreboard.

Rodriguez nearly homered again leading off the bottom of the inning, hitting a double off the top of the wall in center against reliever Kyle Muller. An out later, Garver went deep to left-center to make it 7-1.

Toro, a former Mariner, led off the sixth with a homer down the right-field line.

Zavala homered down the left-field line with one out in the bottom of the inning to make it 8-2.

Rooker hit a two-run shot to left in the eighth off reliever Cody Bolton to cap the scoring.

The defensive gem of the afternoon came courtesy of Mariners third baseman Urias, who made a diving catch of a 112-mph liner by Rooker in the fourth inning.