And there goes the lead, as Luke French played with fire all night and finally got burned in the sixth as the A’s scored twice to go ahead 4-3. French almost got out of it, too, with reliever Jamie Wright replacing him with two on and one out.

Wright walked the bases full after that, but then got a double-play grounder by the speedy Cliff Pennington. Josh Wilson took the flip to second for one out, but then a hard takeout slide by runner Steve Tolleson caused the shortstop to drop the ball.

The tying run scored from third on the play. Coco Crisp, who has wrecked the M’s this series, then singled through the right side to give Oakland the lead.

Oh yeah, Gio Gonzalez was pitching like a Geo Prism early on. Now, he’s looking like a Caddy — not the golf version either.

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We’re told that Franklin Gutierrez left tonight’s game because he was hyperventilating. He was checked out by a doctor and is said to be doing fine.

Doug Fister got into more trouble in the fifth and it cost him two runs. Seattle still leads, 6-2, after a two-run single by Kurt Suzuki put Oakland on the scoreboard.

The inning began with a walk to Cliff Pennington and a single by Rajai Davis. After a foul popout, Suzuki singled and Jack Cust walked on Fister’s 88th pitch to put two on with one out. It was only at that point that manager Daren Brown got Garrett Olson up in the bullpen. But Olson wasn’t needed, with Fister getting a flyout to center by Mark Ellis and then a ball to the base of the left field fence hit by Jeff Larish.

Brown is breathing a sigh of relief after that one, no doubt. The M’s have won the game of inches tonight and that ball was a few feet away from making this a 6-5 game as Olson tried to get warmed up.

I’d say we’ve seen the last of Fister tonight. Also, the last of Dallas Braden, as Jerry Blevins has come on to replace him.

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