Athletics keep on beating Mariners
OAKLAND, Calif. – Although the numbers don’t reflect it, Dan Haren wasn’t having his best game. On this occasion, that was perfectly OK, because his defense was having another spectacular night.
Haren, and the A’s, continued their hot month, beating the Seattle Mariners 7-2 on Wednesday night for their season-high sixth straight win and their eighth in a row over the Mariners.
The A’s are 10-2 in June after going 12-17 in May, remaining a half-game behind the Texas Rangers in the American League West.
Haren’s numbers this month are just as impressive. He’s 2-0 with a 0.96 ERA in three starts this month, and is 7-0 with a 2.45 ERA in nine June starts the past two seasons.
Haren had a rough start, allowing three straight hits that led to the only run he allowed, but settled down nicely. He allowed four hits and one run in seven innings, and has given up just two runs in his last three games. Furthermore, he’s 5-2 with a 2.10 ERA over his last eight starts.
On this night, he was saved by his defense. Shortstop Bobby Crosby made a terrific backhand stop of Ichiro Suzuki’s grounder to end the fifth. The next inning, left fielder Nick Swisher made a leaping catch of Adrian Beltre’s line drive. On the next play, catcher Jason Kendall reached out and snared Jose Lopez’s foul ball before it disappeared behind the backstop.
First baseman Dan Johnson also made a nifty running catch in foul territory on Willie Bloomquist’s pop in the eighth inning.
“It was like one play after another for a couple of innings,” Haren said. “Kendall’s play was ridiculous. He didn’t even see it. So many balls were put in play. If I didn’t have good defense, I would have been in trouble.”
The A’s built a 7-1 lead against Joel Pineiro, but not without sustaining a potential costly injury. Frank Thomas re-injured his right quadriceps muscle while running the bases in the second inning. He had one more at-bat, a single, but barely jogged to first base before he was lifted for pinch- runner Milton Bradley.
Haren didn’t allow a hit after Carl Everett’s leadoff single in the second inning.
Ichiro collected two hits, extending his hitting streak to 14 games.
He is 33 for 63 (.524) during that streak to raise his average from .323 to .367.
Second baseman Jose Lopez had two hits and drove in a run for Seattle.
Ichiro led off the game with a single and scored Seattle’s first run when Raul Ibanez grounded into a double play with the bases loaded.
Pineiro (5-7) matched his second shortest outing of the season by pitching into trouble in every inning after retiring the side in order in the first.
He lasted four-plus innings, giving up seven runs – five earned – and six hits. He walked two, hit a batter and did not strike out anyone.
Eric Chavez snapped a 0-for-16 streak with a single in the fifth, ending Pineiro’s night.
Pineiro is 1-5 against the A’s since winning seven straight decisions against them between April 16, 2002 and April 20, 2005.
Chavez has been bothered by back and hamstring injuries as of late. He was also weakened by a bacterial infection last month.
The Mariners have scored twice in their last two games after scoring 22 runs to sweep the Los Angeles Angels in a three-game set.
The Mariners are 1-22 when scoring three runs or less.
The A’s grounded into a double play for the 10th straight game, their longest such stretch since an 11-game span in April 2004.
The A’s lead the A.L. with 64 double plays while the Mariners have grounded into 39, the fewest in the A.L.