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Swisher swings A’s over M’s

Oakland's Mike Piazza singles in a run against Seattle during the first inning Thursday. Associated Press (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Mike Cane Everett Herald
Oakland's Mike Piazza singles in a run against Seattle during the first inning Thursday. Associated Press (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

SEATTLE – Not even a long-awaited return home was enough to lift the Seattle Mariners out of their prolonged nosedive.

Fresh off a frustrating road trip in which they lost six straight times, including four consecutive defeats against lowly Texas, the sinking Mariners got back to Safeco Field but still continued to tumble.

The Oakland Athletics (49-53) built an early lead and never gave it up Thursday, using a solo home run by Mark Ellis and two homers by Nick Swisher to beat the M’s 6-2. Seattle (54-46) lost its seventh in a row, its worst skid of the season.

“We gotta battle our way through this and play the game the way it’s supposed to be played,” Mariners manager John McLaren said.

Swisher was Oakland’s main offensive weapon. The switch-hitter’s two-out, three-run homer in the ninth off reliever George Sherrill put it away. It was Swisher’s eighth career multihomer game and the fourth time he’s connected from both sides of the plate in a game.

M’s starting pitcher Jeff Weaver worked deep into a contest for the second straight time but, just like his previous outing, took the loss. Weaver (2-9) allowed three runs – one in both the first and second innings – on seven hits.

Oakland starter Dan Haren (12-3) won for the first time in three tries this season against Seattle.

The Mariners, still in second place in the American League West Division, began a key 10-game, 11-day homestand, which includes a total of seven games against division rivals Oakland and Los Angeles, and three against Boston.

Oakland jumped to an early two-run lead by smacking five hits off Weaver in the first two innings, including a solo homer by Ellis, his 12th of the year.

In the first, Weaver allowed three hits, including a run-scoring base hit by designated hitter Mike Piazza. The M’s escaped further trouble by turning a double play. Ellis led off the second with a solo home run to left field.

In the bottom of the second, Richie Sexson homered to right-center field to cut the deficit to 2-1. But Swisher made it 3-1 with a solo shot in the fifth, drilling Weaver’s hanging breaking ball into the right-field seats.