Carlos Cortes Goes 4 for 5 with a Bomb, and the A's Steal One From Seattle

The Mariners came out swinging Monday night at T-Mobile Park, built an early three-run lead, and then watched it evaporate. The Athletics scraped their way back to beat Seattle 6-4, with Carlos Cortes going absolutely off the bench: 4 for 5 with a homer in the fourth that got Oakland right back into it. Welcome to April baseball in the AL West, where nobody's safe yet.

The Comeback Nobody Saw Coming

Oakland was down 3-1 early, and you could feel the momentum shifting in green and blue's favor at the ballpark. But then the A's turned up the heat in the sixth. Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers went back-to-back-to-back with solo shots that tied the game and got starter Emerson Hancock yanked from the mound. That's the kind of inning that stings, especially when you're trying to stay competitive in these early weeks.

Then came the eighth. Max Muncy worked the bases loaded with no outs and delivered a sacrifice fly to put Oakland up 4-3. Lawrence Butler added salt to the wound with a two-run single, making it 6-3. Just like that, the A's took control and didn't let go.

Cal Raleigh's Historic Night Gets Lost

Here's the thing about losses: individual accomplishments fade into the background. Cal Raleigh hit his third home run of the season, a milestone that tied him with Raúl Ibañez for eighth all-time in franchise history at 156 career homers. That's huge for Raleigh and for Mariners history. Josh Naylor went 3 for 4 with an RBI double, and Julio Rodriguez reached base safely for the 17th straight game while scoring a run. Dominic Canzone also went deep with his third homer. But on a night when the offense was there, the pitching couldn't hold the line.

Hancock gave up seven hits over five-plus innings before getting pulled. Casey Legumina (0-1) took the loss, allowing three runs in the eighth that essentially decided it. Oakland's J.T. Ginn struck out six in 5 1/3 innings, and the bullpen shut it down. Hogan Harris picked up the win with two strikeouts in 1 2/3 hitless innings, and Joel Kuhnel got his fourth save despite giving up an RBI double to Leo Rivas before getting Raleigh to pop out with a runner in scoring position.

What's Next

The Mariners sit at 10-14 and trail Oakland by 2.5 in the AL West standings. Game two of this 13-game series comes Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park. Luis Castillo takes the ball for Seattle against Oakland's Jacob Lopez, who'll be making his fifth start. This is the kind of series where you need to steal one back.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.