OAKLAND — After an ugly 7-1 loss Thursday night, the A's bats bounced back in a big way Friday. Oakland scored five runs in the first inning, thanks in part to home runs by Matt Chapman and Stephen Piscotty.
The Mariners answered back with five unanswered runs of their own, getting homers from Robinson Canó, Nelson Cruz, and former Athletic Ryon Healy in the fourth inning. But the A's weren't phased, adding runs in the fifth and sixth en route to a 7-5 victory.
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Chapman, Piscotty, Jed Lowrie, Marcus Semien, and Matt Olson all enjoyed multi-hit games for Oakland, which pounded out 13 hits as a team. The A's improved to 81-55 on the season, just 1 1/2 games behind Houston in the AL West, following the Astros' second straight loss to the Angels. Oakland leads Seattle by 5 1/2 games for the second AL Wild Card spot.
Here's what else you need to know from Friday's win...
--- Mike Fiers had his first sub-par outing since joining the A's, lasting just 3 2/3 innings, and allowing five earned runs on seven hits. Fiers served up back-to-back home runs to Canó and Cruz in the fourth, followed by a 2-run homer by Healy later in the frame. Fiers still has an impressive 2.93 ERA since joining the A's, and a 3.38 ERA overall.
--- The A's bullpen was phenomenal, combining to pitch 5 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out seven. Yusmeiro Petit took over for Fiers in the fourth and pitched through the fifth. From there, it was the reliable combination of Lou Trivino, Fernando Rodney, Jeurys Familia, and Blake Treinen locking it down. Petit earned the win to improve to 6-3, and Treinen picked up his 34th save. The A's improved to 57-0 when leading after seven innings, and 66-0 when leading after eight.
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--- Chapman capped an incredible month with a 2-for-5 performance that included his 22nd home run and 33rd double. He tied the A's franchise record with 22 extra base hits in August. Chapman is now slashing .282/.364/.530 for the season.
--- Khris Davis snapped an 0-for-19 skid, singling home Jed Lowrie in the sixth inning. Davis leads MLB with 40 RBI since the All-Star break and ranks second with 104 RBI for the season. He also walked and scored in the first inning.