shot a few seconds after the opening face-off. No p

OAKLAND, Calif. -- With the wind, Stefen Romero thought his deep fly might not have enough and he would be denied his first major league home run. He put his head down and took off running anyway. Romero hit it hard enough to clear the left field fence for a tiebreaking solo shot in the fifth inning, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics 4-2 on Monday night for their third straight victory and eighth in 10 games. Romero is taking home a souvenir ball, and the gratification he knew why his teammates were giving him the silent treatment afterward. "I tried to play it off a little bit and went all the way to the end of the dugout and took off my batting glove, put my bat away and tried to beeline to the edge of the dugout so they wouldnt rush me," Romero said. "Then (Robinson) Cano gets a base hit. After the base hit, thats when they all just lost it and congratulated me." Chris Young (2-0) allowed two hits over six strong innings to win his second straight start. He began the year with four straight no-decisions as he came back from shoulder surgery that caused him to miss much of 2013. The right-hander faced the minimum through three and didnt allow a hit until Jed Lowries one-out single in the fourth. Brandon Moss hit a tying two-run homer two batters later. "Hes 6-foot-10 and hes throwing out of the sky," Moss said of Young. "It looks like hes throwing soft and the radar gun says hes throwing soft, but the way he pitches up and down, it makes it tough." Romero, a 25-year-old rookie, homered in his 53rd career at-bat. He is batting .306 over his last nine games. "Fortunately it got out," Romero said of the wind. "Just not having done it this year, its pretty sweet to get that one out of the way." Moss hit his drive to right to give the As brief momentum only to see Romero connect in the top of the fifth for a Seattle lead. Brad Miller added an RBI single in the sixth. Scott Kazmir (4-1), off to the best start in his career, was tagged for eight hits and four runs in six innings. "He had his way with us for two outings in a row," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "I thought our guys were probably a little bit more determined tonight, better at-bats, better approach. We were able to get his pitch count up a little bit." The As were without two key outfielders and hitters to begin the game with the injured Yoenis Cespedes and Josh Reddick out of the starting lineup. Cespedes entered as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and stayed in the game. Oakland did little else after Moss big hit and kicked off a 10-game homestand -- the clubs first of three such stints at the Coliseum this season -- with just its third loss in seven matchups against Seattle so far. Young won back-to-back starts for the first time since May 19 and 24, 2009, for the Padres. He also improved to 14-6 in 29 career May starts. His April 6 outing at Oakland was his first in the majors since Sept. 29, 2012, with the New York Mets. "Stuff-wise, Im not there. I dont know if Ill ever be. Ive had three shoulder operations," Young said. "The shoulder feels healthy. I feel like when Ive been healthy in my career Ive pitched pretty well." Fernando Rodney, Seattles fifth reliever on a night the bullpen was thin, finished for his eighth save in nine opportunities as Seattle earned its first three-game winning streak since sweeping a season-opening series at the Angels. NOTES: McClendon expected to name his second starter for Wednesdays doubleheader on Tuesday. Felix Hernandez will start one of the games. The teams must make up a game from April 4, when Oakland didnt use a tarp through a heavy rainstorm and the field was unplayable. ... Oakland RHP Sonny Gray (4-1, 1.91 ERA) earned AL Pitcher of the Month honours for April. ... As RF Reddick could miss another day as he nurses a sprained ankle suffered Sunday in Boston. ... Mariners OF Logan Morrison, sidelined since April 16 with a strained right hamstring, is recovering more slowly than expected. Even McClendon is surprised. "I have been. Theres no sense in arguing about it," he said. "When I get him I get him. Until then Ill just read his tweets." Custom Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys . Henderson (20-3) received winning scores of 48-47 and 49-46, and the other judge scored it 48-47 for Thomson (20-6). The announcement drew boos from the United Center crowd. "Train this hard for this long, its such a long camp and I see my title shot disappear," said Thomson, who fought most of the fight with a broken right hand. Bill Mazeroski Jersey .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner. http://www.pittsburghpiratesprostore.us/Dave-Parker-pirates-jersey/ . Inter moved five points behind fourth-place Fiorentina and eight points behind third-place Napoli, which visits relegation-threatened Sassuolo on Sunday. Willie Stargell Jersey . Ho-Sang is a highly regarded prospect, as seen in TSNs Midseason Rankings. This was Game 3 of their playoff series and that wasnt the only strange incident in Londons 10-2 win over Windsor. Roberto Clemente Jersey . And Richard Bachman, their rookie goalie, is facing a penalty shot a few seconds after the opening face-off. No pressure, right? Bachman stood his ground against Zack Kassian and saw the puck dribble off the Canuck rookies stick, then settled in and backstopped the Stars to a 5-2 win over Vancouver Tuesday that put Dallas in first place in the Pacific Division. PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates and right-handed pitcher Charlie Morton have agreed to a three-year, $21 million contract. The 30-year-old Morton went 7-4 with a 3.26 ERA in 20 starts for the Pirates in 2013. The deal includes a 2017 club option for $9.5 million. Morton missed most of 2012 and the beginning of 2013 while recovering from elbow reconstruction surgery. His return bolstered a rotation that propelled the Pirates to 94 wins and the franchises first playoff appearance in 21 years.dddddddddddd Morton gives the Pirates some needed depth and stability behind Francisco Liriano and Gerrit Cole. The Pirates still hope to sign free agent A.J. Burnett, who is mulling retirement. Left-hander Wandy Rodriguez, who sat out the final four months of the 2013 season due to arm trouble, is also expected to be back. ' ' '