Mariners face same old situation

OAKLAND, Calif. – A familiar ending crept up on a Mariners team that had begun the night on the most promising of notes.

Watching Richie Sexson go deep for a three-run homer in the first inning Monday night had to be viewed with a huge degree of optimism in the visitors’ dugout. After all, the Mariners had scored only one run in 15 innings the previous day, while Sexson had gone deep only one other time since May 24.

But the optimism soon gave way to the same old frustration as stranded base runners piled up in the innings that followed. That gave the Oakland Athletics just enough time to recover from Sexson’s early blast and hand Seattle a 4-3 loss in a game that probably should have gone the other way.

Seattle had seven hits and nine base runners against Oakland starter Dana Eveland by the third inning, but failed to build on the early lead provided by Sexson’s home run. Meanwhile, Mariners starter Jarrod Washburn had retired the first six batters and seemed poised to cruise toward a third consecutive victory.

But it was not to be.

The A’s scored a run in the third after Willie Bloomquist had trouble tracking down a Wes Bankston double to lead off the inning. Bankston wound up scoring on a two-out single by Mark Ellis that cut Seattle’s lead to 3-1.

Bankston then really got the tiny McAfee Coliseum crowd of 11,129 going in the fifth inning, drilling a game-tying, two-run homer to left off Washburn. It was the first home run of Bankston’s major-league career.

The A’s weren’t done. Carlos Gonzalez doubled to left center later that inning, then scored on a Ryan Sweeny single to left that put Oakland ahead to stay.

Washburn managed to go a season-high eight innings. He lasted at least seven for the second time in three starts and the third time all season.

But he was ultimately done in by his team’s inability to get runners home.

Adrian Beltre had four singles for the Mariners in his first four at-bats. But he flied out to left to end the game with two on and two out against A’s closer Huston Street.

Beltre’s sloppy baserunning in the fifth inning also helped kill a rally by his squad with two on, one out and Seattle looking to add to a 3-1 lead.

Beltre was on second when Kenji Johjima hit a fly ball to center. An aggressive Beltre rounded third base before the ball was finally caught, then retreated in a hurry to second.

But Beltre forgot to step back on third as he retraced his steps. The A’s noticed and threw over to third, where Beltre was called out to complete the double play.

Washburn allowed just one hit by the A’s after the fifth inning, when Oakland piled up four of its seven hits on the night. But the Mariners left-hander was tagged with the loss when Street came on in the ninth and earned his 17th save in 20 tries.