A’s drop M’s, Farquhar, 4-2

SEATTLE_The moments have been filled with hope for Danny Farquhar. As the 2015 season winds to a close, it will be one that he would like to forget. tmpplchld Another reminder of his frustrating inconsistency this season was on display on Friday night in the Seattle Mariners’ 4-2 loss to the Oakland A’s at Safeco Field. tmpplchld For the fourth straight appearance, Farquhar was saddled with the loss in relief. He entered the game to start the top of the eighth inning with the game tied at 2. Farquhar gave up a leadoff single to Josh Reddick then served up a two-run homer to deep center field to Danny Valencia. tmpplchld Farquhar fell behind 2-0 to Valencia and left a cutter over the middle of the plate that Valencia destroyed for his 17th homer of the season. tmpplchld It was a deficit that the Mariners couldn’t overcome, leaving Farquhar with a 1-8 record and a 5.12 ERA in 43 appearances. It was his eighth homer allowed in 51 innings pitched this season. A year ago, he was one of Seattle’s best relievers, appearing in 66 games and posting a 3-1 record with a 2.66 ERA. In 71 innings, he allowed just five homers. tmpplchld In his last start of the season, Hisashi Iwakuma gave another solid performance. The veteran right-hander worked seven innings allowing two runs (one earned) while scattering nine hits and striking out eight batters with no walks.tmpplchld Iwakuma’s first run was anything but earned. In the third inning, he gave up back-to-back, one-out singles to Sam Fuld and Billy Burns. Iwakuma tried a pickoff move to first base. Burns got back in time, but first baseman Logan Morrison fired the ball to second base, seeing that there was a chance to get Fuld, who was late getting back to the bag. However, Ketel Marte simply missed Morrison’s throw for an error. As the ball rolled to the outfield, the runners each moved up a base. Fuld wanted another one and headed for home. Marte fired wildly to home, allowing Fuld to score, for another error and a 1-0 lead. tmpplchld The A’s tacked on another run an inning later. Iwakuma gave up three straight singles to start the fourth inning and load the bases. Valencia scored on Brett Lawrie’s fielder’s choice. But they would get no more. Iwakuma got Eric Sogard to ground into an inning-ending, 6-4-3 double play to escape with no further damage. tmpplchld Seattle tied the game in the fifth inning. Brad Miller led off with an opposite-field homer to left off Oakland starter Aaron Brooks. Jesus Sucre followed with a double to left and later scored on Nelson Cruz’s two-out single up the middle. tmpplchld Brooks picked up the win, pitching seven innings and allowing two runs on six hits with two walks and a strikeout. tmpplchld tmpplchld ___tmpplchld (c)2015 The Seattle Timestmpplchld Visit The Seattle Times at www.seattletimes.comtmpplchld Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.tmpplchld