Seattle falls to Athletics

SEATTLE — Eric Chavez and Erubiel Durazo each drove in runs to lead the Oakland Athletics to a 2-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.

Mark Redman (11-12) outpitched Bobby Madritsch (5-3) in a showdown of left-handers as Oakland pulled three games ahead of Anaheim in the A.L. West standings after the Angels lost 1-0 to Texas.

Redman, who lost his two previous starts, allowed one run and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings. He walked four — one intentionally — and struck out three.

Ricardo Rincon and Jim Mecir each retired two batters in relief, and Octavio Dotel pitched the ninth for his 22nd save.

Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki was hitless in four at-bats and walked, holding his season hits total at 236. With 13 games remaining, he needs 22 more to break the major league season record set by George Sisler of the St. Louis Browns in 1920.

Jermaine Dye had two doubles among his three hits for Oakland, which won two of the three games in the series.

The A’s went ahead 2-1 in the fifth. Eric Byrnes hit a two-out double to left on the first pitch he saw from Madritsch and scored when Chavez hit a first-pitch RBI single to center.

Oakland made it 1-1 in the fourth on consecutive doubles by Dye and Durazo. Dye started it with one out, driving a pitch to the left-field corner and Durazo’s hit went to the corner in right.

Madritsch, who pitched at least eight innings in winning his previous two starts, worked seven this time, giving up two runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts and four walks.

His pitch count at 117, Madritsch looked tired after walking Scott Hatteberg to load the bases with two outs in the seventh.

But after a conference with pitching coach Bryan Price, Madritsch got Dye on a called third strike.