Dallas Braden pitched five effective innings and rookie Chris Carter delivered a go-ahead single as the Oakland Athletics completed a four-game sweep with a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday at Safeco Field.

Kurt Suzuki and Kevin Kouzmanoff homered for the Athletics, who got great starting pitching in the series to finish at .500 for the first time since 2006. The four Oakland starters allowed three earned runs in 26 innings.

Braden (11-14) pitched scoreless ball until the fifth in this one when Ichiro Suzuki doubled home two runs to tie the contest at 2-2.

Carter, who homered in Saturday’s 5-3 victory, greeted Seattle reliever Jamey Wright with a bases-loaded RBI single in the sixth to snap the tie. Anthony Varvaro (0-1), who started the inning in place of Ryan Rowland-Smith, loaded the bases with one out before being replaced by Wright.

Kouzmanoff added his 16th homer in the eighth, but Suzuki singled and eventually scored on a base hit by rookie Justin Smoak to cut the Oakland lead to 4-3.

Craig Breslow closed out Seattle in the ninth for his fifth save as Oakland secured second place in the American League West, one game ahead of the Los Angeles Angels.