Play confirmed in Melvin's second challenge

OAKLAND -- A's manager Bob Melvin challenged a ruling that Sam Fuld was thrown out at first base in the fourth inning of Sunday's matinee against the Seattle Mariners. After a review of about two minutes, the umpires confirmed the call, sending Fuld back to the dugout.

The Oakland outfielder, who is trying to keep his spot on the roster with Craig Gentry set to return soon, was a bit too aggressive when rounding first base after reaching on a blooper. Seattle center fielder Abraham Almonte could not come up with the ball, which rolled past his glove for a few feet before shortstop Brad Miller alertly picked it up and tried to nab Fuld at first base.

Though the play was certainly close, replays confirmed that Seattle first baseman Justin Smoak was able to apply the tag before Fuld reached first base. The sequence took place with the score tied at 3, and it stood as the second out in a 1-2-3 fourth inning for Seattle starter Erasmo Ramirez. Because he lost his challenge, Melvin did not get another the rest of the game.

"I knew we had a couple innings left before we got past the sixth, so I thought, 'Why not?'" Melvin said after his team's eventual 6-3 win, referring to the umpires' being able to initiate reviews from the seventh inning on. "Again, I thought he was safe, but it's becoming more and more apparent that it's really going to have to be obvious or potentially they won't overturn it."

It marked Melvin's second official coaching challenge this year under MLB's new expanded replay system, and he has lost both of them. For the Mariners, it marked the first time they were involved in a manager-initiated challenge, while both teams also experienced a lengthy umpire-sparked replay sequence on Thursday.