Semien’s 13th-inning HR lifts Athletics to 7-5 win

It was Seattle’s 23rd extra-inning game of the season – 13 of them losses. A few minutes later, having led the Mariners to a 3-2 win with the eighth-inning shot, Smith soaked up the ovation of fans surrounding the home dugout.

As for the final score, that had 2015 written all over it. And the A’s are ready to put this season in the rear-view mirror.

Seattle finished the year with a76-86 record, fourth out of five teams in the AL West. The M’s lost nine of their last 11 games.

Mariners: Seattle will travel to Texas to open the 2016 season.

Valencia took Mariners reliever Danny Farquhar deep to break a 2-2 tie with no outs, eventually resulting in Seattle’s eighth loss in nine games.

Smith went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and scored two of Seattle’s three runs. He was charged with four runs on seven hits with three walks and no strikeouts.

“I don’t know how much more a guy like that can do to prove himself at the big-league level”, Oakland manager Bob Melvin said of Canha’s impressive rookie season. 361 in a season-high 15-game hitting streak after going 2 for 5 with a three-run homer in Saturday’s 7-5, 13-inning defeat. Wilhelmsen struck out the side in the ninth, catching pinch hitter Coco Crisp looking to finish off the win. Valencia jumped on the mistake, driving it over the wall in center field for his 18th homer of the season and a 3-0 lead for the A’s. Coulombe got Jesus Sucre to bounce into a double play, but Trumbo scored to tie the score, and Ketel Marte singled to drive in O’Malley. For Sunday’s game the Mainers start Vidal Nuno who has allowed 74 hits and 32 earned runs while striking out while striking out 58 over 68.2 innings for a 1-4 record and a 4.19 ERA. He lasted six innings, and though he walked five, he limited the damage to two runs. Neither factored into the decision. He’ll go to winter ball as a starter, but no defined role for next season yet.

“You saw the emergence of his desire”, Melvin said.

Seattle second baseman Robinson Cano is batting.

He couldn’t help but to look back with a sense of remorse.

The Mariners now have the longest playoff drought in the major leagues – 14 years since their last postseason appearance.

Mark Canha hit his 16th homer for Oakland, which was trying to complete its first sweep of three games or more since late June. “That’s a little frustrating”.

NOTES: Seattle DH Nelson Cruz was not in the lineup Sunday after suffering a strained groin in the ninth inning of Saturday’s loss…. Oakland’s Reddick and center fielder Billy Burns both had two hits.

Time will only tell if that’s the final time the Seattle manager takes off a Mariners cap.

That quick, the Mariners were in a 3-0 hole, but Oakland tried to let them back into the game by committing errors on the first two plays in the bottom of the inning.

Semien’s 15th home run gave the Athletics their first three-game winning streak in more than a month.