OAKLAND, Calif. – Maybe the outcome might have been different. Maybe if the air was just a little cooler Monday, or if the game at a sold-out O.Co Coliseum was played at night instead in the bright, hitter-friendly afternoon warmth, the ball carries just six inches less and Austin Jackson makes the catch.

Chris Young of the Mariners failed to pitch out of the first inning, giving up five runs and the game being done almost as quickly as it started in a 6-1 Oakland Athletics win.

SEATTLE – Progress doesn’t always come on a schedule, yours or anybody else’s. Mariners left fielder Dustin Ackley hit .273 in 90 games during his first season in 2011, even earning a Rookie of the Year vote. But his development has come in fits and starts since.

Dustin Ackley delivered one of his best performances of the season Sunday at a time when the Mariners desperately needed the boost.

SEATTLE – If there is such a thing as momentum in baseball, the Seattle Mariners had plenty of it entering this homestand. They won six of nine games on their most recent road trip and returned to Safeco Field in control of a playoff spot and showing the confidence of a team playing winning baseball.

Stephen Strasburg pitched into the eighth inning and Jayson Werth hit his second home run in two nights to lead the Washington Nationals past the Seattle Mariners 3-1 on Saturday.

SEATTLE – Jesus Montero will not play baseball again this season for the Mariners organization after a heated confrontation in the stands with a team scout during a minor league game in Boise. Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik said on Friday that the actions of Montero and cross-checker Butch Baccala were “unacceptable” and “embarrassing” for the club. Montero was being brought back to Seattle while Baccala was told to return to his home in the Bay Area and await internal discussions regarding discipline.

SEATTLE – Is it a disturbing trend and a sign of things to come? Or is it just a small bump in an otherwise brilliant season? Given two days’ worth of extra rest and a packed Safeco Field – something that usually brings out the best in him – Felix Hernandez didn’t pitch like the Felix Hernandez who has been taking the mound for the Mariners much of this season.

SEATTLE – Manager Lloyd McClendon summarized the prevailing sentiment of Seattle’s postgame locker room when he opened his news conference with just two words. “Over with.”

Back in the majors from Triple-A yet again, Erasmo Ramirez gave little reason for the Mariners to extend his stay in Seattle.

Had you never heard of Rangers starting pitcher Miles Mikolas before he handcuffed the Mariners on Monday night, you were not alone. Here is your primer: He’s 26 years old. He’s in his first season as a starter in the major leagues. And he began the night with a 7.48 ERA this season.