M’s earn part of dubious record
OAKLAND, Calif. – The Oakland Athletics tied a major league record with their 15th consecutive win over Seattle, getting six shutout innings from Dan Haren in a 4-0 victory over the Mariners on Wednesday night.
Mark Ellis homered for the second time in three games with a three-run shot as the A’s matched the 1974 Atlanta Braves for the longest winning streak against a division opponent since divisional play started in 1969, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Braves won 15 straight versus the San Diego Padres that year.
Oakland has had a longer winning streak against one opponent, getting 16 straight victories against the New York Yankees from Sept. 9, 1989, through May 1, 1991.
Haren (11-9) struck out eight and didn’t walk a batter to win his fifth straight start for the first-place A’s, who increased their American League West lead to a season-best 6 1/2 games over Los Angeles. It’s Oakland’s biggest advantage in the division since having a seven-game lead on Sept. 30, 1992.
Oakland, 12-2 in August, won its sixth straight game and 12th in 13 and sent Seattle to its season-worst seventh consecutive defeat and 16th in a row against the division.
The Mariners are 0-7 on their 11-game road trip that resumes today with the opener of a four-game series in Anaheim, Calif.
Nick Swisher, who delivered the key hits in the first two games of the series for Oakland, drew walks in his first three plate appearances and scored the first two times – including on a balk in the fourth.
Ellis, Oakland’s former leadoff hitter now batting in the No. 9 spot, connected off Gil Meche (9-8) with a drive into the left-field seats with two outs in the second for his eighth homer of the year.
Justin Duchscherer, Joe Kennedy and Huston Street completed the 10-hit shutout for the A’s, who have a 10-game winning streak against Seattle in the Coliseum.
The Mariners loaded the bases against Haren with one out in the fourth, but he struck out Willie Bloomquist swinging and also got Ichiro Suzuki swinging on an 87 mph changeup. The right-hander, 5-1 in seven career starts against Seattle, recorded seven straight outs beginning with Bloomquist.
Meche, who has allowed 29 runs over his last five outings, lost his third straight start and matched his career high by dropping a fourth consecutive decision. He is winless in six starts since a victory July 14 at Toronto.
Meche was tagged for four runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Oakland’s Mark Kotsay extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a seventh-inning double, while Adrian Beltre got a hit in his 12th straight game when he singled to left in the first for Seattle.
Notes
The Mariners indefinitely moved struggling fifth starter Joel Pineiro to the bullpen and promoted left-hander Jake Woods to take his starting spot. The switch happened a day after Pineiro allowed a career-high nine runs in an 11-2 loss to Oakland, his fifth straight defeat against the A’s this season and his third loss in a row overall. He has only one victory since June 20. … Left-hander Eric O’Flaherty made his major league debut in the seventh after Seattle optioned his contract from Triple-A Tacoma earlier in the day. The Mariners optioned infielder Greg Dobbs to Tacoma.