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SEATTLE -- Danny Valencia continues to reward the Oakland A's for taking a chance on him two months ago. The former Toronto Blue Jay hit a two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning that gave Oakland the lead for good in a 4-2 win over Seattle on Friday night.
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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.
"They gave me an opportunity to play every day, they put me in the cleanup spot, and I think I've rewarded them for it," said Valencia, who was claimed off waivers on Aug. 3. "I'm glad I got the opportunity and made the most of it."
Oakland starter Aaron Brooks (3-4) pitched seven strong innings to earn his first win since July 26. Brooks allowed two runs off six hits.
The last time he faced Seattle, Brooks got tagged for six runs and didn't make it out of the third inning.
"He came out good tonight," Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said after Friday's loss. "He hit his spots well. He had a little cut-slider, a changeup. He did a nice job."
Said Valencia of the pitching performance: "It was probably the best start we've had in the last 30 days."
Seattle starter Hisashi Iwakuma allowed nine hits but only one earned run over seven innings, with eight strikeouts and no walks. Farquhar (1-8) suffered the loss after allowing two runs off two hits over the eighth and ninth innings.
With the score tied 2-2, Oakland right fielder Josh Reddick singled to lead off the eighth. Valencia then hit his 17th home run of the season to give the A's (67-96) a 4-2 lead.
"I was trying to be short and punch it in that situation," Valencia said. "I don't know. Sometimes you do stuff that you can't explain."
Oakland closer Sean Doolittle earned his fourth save of the season after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth.
Seattle center fielder Brad Miller had three hits, including a solo homer in the fifth that pulled the Mariners (75-84) to within 2-1.
Valencia went 3-for-4 with a double, the home run, two RBIs and two runs scored for the A's. Oakland's Reddick and center fielder Billy Burns both had two hits.
Seattle fell behind 2-0 before a solo home run from Miller and designated hitter Nelson Cruz's RBI single, his 93rd run batted in of the season, tied the score 2-2 in the fifth.
In a game pitting two teams out of playoff contention, it was somewhat fitting that the first run was scored on an error. Oakland took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when left fielder Sam Fuld scored from second base on an error charged to Seattle shortstop Ketel Marte, who mishandled a throw from first on an attempted pickoff. Iwakuma initially threw to first baseman Logan Morrison, who then turned and tried to get Fuld leaning too far off second base. But Morrison's throw got past Marte, who eventually retrieved the ball in shallow center field and tried to catch Fuld coming home -- only to throw off target for another error.
"That's what I call alley-ball," McClendon said. "There's no excuse for that."
Oakland tacked on another run after opening the fourth with three consecutive hits to load the bases. A fielder's-choice RBI from second baseman Brett Lawrie drove in Valencia from third for a 2-0 lead.
NOTES: The Mariners announced Friday that 2B Robinson Cano will undergo offseason surgery for a sports hernia. Cano battled through the injury for most of the season and was in the lineup for Friday's game against Oakland. He is scheduled to undergo surgery on Oct. 13 and is likely to require six weeks of recovery. ... Friday's game marked the first time the A's and Mariners were playing in a game that had no playoff implications for their opponents, yet the starting lineups were pretty standard for both teams. Seattle's past 15 games were played against American League teams battling for postseason spots. ... Mariners 1B Jesus Montero, who spent most of the season at Triple-A Tacoma, was named one of Seattle's co-players-of-the-year in the organization's minor league awards that were given out Friday. Montero hit .355 with 18 home runs and 85 RBIs in 98 games at Tacoma. OF Tyler O'Neill, who hit .260 with 32 home runs at Class A Bakersfield, was the other player-of-the-year recipient. ... Oakland's 93 losses entering Friday marked the franchise's most in a season since the 1997 team went 65-97. The A's had a .415 winning percentage, the fourth lowest in team history. ... Seattle reliever Danny Farquhar had lost just four games over 2 1/2 seasons before suffering his eighth loss of the 2015 season on Friday night.
