Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Dallas Braden threw his fourth complete game of the season -- and of his career -- while Mark Ellis doubled three times and drove in as many runs in helping the Athletics salvage their three-game series with the Mariners, 5-1.
Braden (7-8) needed just 104 pitches to go the distance for the second time in three starts, allowing a mere four hits and two walks while striking out six for Oakland, which lost the first two of the set by a combined 5-1 score.
"It was a good team win. Dallas was obviously outstanding. We knew we didn't have to get too many runs the way he was throwing the ball," Ellis said.
Luke French (1-3) was on the other end of the decision, surrendering four runs on seven hits and three walks in a six-inning start for Seattle, which finished a 5-4 homestand on a losing note.
Oakland never trailed thanks to Ellis doubling to lead off the away second and coming around to score on Coco Crisp's two-out line drive to left.
The A's increased their lead when Landon Powell's base hit plated Rajai Davis in the fourth, then made it 4-0 with another two-out hit an inning later, as Ellis' double down the third-base line scored Kurt Suzuki from third and Cliff Pennington from first.
Braden faced the minimum through six frames thanks to three inning-ending double play balls. In the seventh, the left-hander loaded the bases with one out for Franklin Gutierrez, whose flyout to the warning track in left-center was plenty deep for Ichiro Suzuki to cross the plate.
Casey Kotchman grounded out to first to end the inning and Oakland quickly got the run back in the eighth, asChris Seddon entered from the bullpen with one out, walked Pennington and gave up an RBI double to Ellis.
"[French had] a few mistakes here and there and he didn't get by with them," Mariners interim manager Daren Brown said. "[He was] a little up in the zone with all his pitches and he paid for it."
Braden used just eight pitches in a perfect eighth, and set down the top of Seattle's order in the ninth to finish off yet another solid performance.
The A's have won 11 of their last 12 day games and are an MLB-best 28-11 during the day for the season...Seattle had won 16 of 18 against the A's at Safeco Field...Brown was trying to become only the second Mariners manager to win each of their first three games at the helm...A's shortstop Adam Rosales left the game early on with an ankle injury.