OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — With six home runs in his last nine games, Mark Canha is trying to do his best impression of Oakland teammate Khris Davis. That’s going to be critical in the coming weeks while Davis continues to recover from a sore left hip.
Canha went deep for the third consecutive game as part of back-to-back home runs with Matt Olson in the fourth inning, and the Athletics beat the slumping Seattle Mariners 6-2 on Friday night for their seventh straight win.
Davis, the majors’ home run leader in 2018, was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hip/oblique contusion before the game.
“If you’re looking for a replacement for Khris, that’s the guy,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said of Canha. “He feels good at the plate, he’s getting good swings, seeing some pitches, taking some walks. Really good.”
Stephen Piscotty also homered and singled twice to extend his on-base streak to 22 games, the longest active streak in the majors. Ramon Laureano added two hits.
Lou Trivino, the fourth of five pitchers used by the A’s, retired four batters to win after starter Daniel Mengden matched his career high with five walks.
Oakland, which had a game Sunday in Detroit suspended in the seventh inning due to weather, beat the Mariners for the first time this season after losing twice in Tokyo and twice in Seattle.
“We’re riding a high right now,” Canha said. “When that happens you have to ride the wave, and we’re doing a good job of that.”
The A’s combined to issue seven walks but only one of the free passes was costly. The Mariners left the bases loaded three times and stranded 15 runners overall.
“We did exactly what we wanted do against Mengden but we couldn’t get the big hit,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said “A lot of really good things offensively but you have to get hits with runners in scoring position and that’s the name of the game.”
Domingo Santana had three hits and an RBI for Seattle, which has lost four straight and seven of eight.
Olson hit his fifth home run with two outs in the fourth, a three-run drive to right-center field. Canha followed with his eighth homer two pitches later. Canha has homered in three straight games for the first time in his career.
“I guess you could say it’s timely,” Canha said. “It’s good that I’m like filling his shoes, trying to be Khris Davis now. This is my best version of it. It always helps when somebody gets on a hot streak.”
Both home runs came against Wade LeBlanc (2-2), who allowed four runs and five hits in five innings.
“They caught a couple of mistakes and those didn’t come back,” LeBlanc said. “I have to make better pitches. Two mistakes left the yard.”
The A’s scored an unearned run in the seventh on Seattle catcher Omar Narváez’s throwing error. Piscotty homered off Connor Sadzeck in the eighth.
Mengden allowed one run and five hits. He threw 99 pitches in four innings.
ROSTER MOVE
The A’s recalled outfielder Skye Bolt from Triple-A Las Vegas.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mariners: Sadzeck was removed for unknown reasons after getting checked on by the team trainer in the eighth. … 3B Kyle Seager is set to come off the 60-day disabled list and is expected to start on Saturday. Seager underwent surgery to repair a tendon in his left hand he injured while diving for a ball in spring training.
Athletics: Davis as injured May 5 chasing a foul ball in Pittsburgh when he ran into the railing near left field at PNC Park and has been in and out of the lineup since.
