Brown belt

OAKLAND, Calif. – There was nothing meaningless about this game for R.A. Dickey as he stared up at all the zeros on the scoreboard.

For all the talk of the Mariners having nothing left to play for this season, the 33-year-old Dickey is fighting for his future every time he takes the mound. Dickey has once again solidified his status in the major leagues, but he’d like to take that a step further as a full-time member of the team’s starting rotation.

Two holes had already opened up in the hours before Dickey tossed a four-hit gem over seven shutout innings Thursday afternoon in an eventual 3-2 loss in 11 innings to the Oakland Athletics, who won on Emil Brown’s homer. With Erik Bedard on the 15-day disabled list and Miguel Batista out until after the All-Star break, Dickey knows he’s getting a chance to show he can do this every five days.

“I think I’ve certainly worked hard to be trustworthy in that role,” Dickey said. “I think I can get better and throw a lot of innings. I think that’s a good definition of a quality No. 4 and No. 5 starter.”

Dickey said all the right things about the team already having quality starters and such.

But even without the injuries to Bedard and Batista, both expected back soon after the All-Star break, the July 31 trade deadline looms and there’s a good chance the Mariners will unload another starter by then.

Dickey didn’t get the decision in this one, because closer Brandon Morrow yielded solo home runs in the ninth to Jack Cust and pinch-hitter Kurt Suzuki that tied the contest. Suzuki’s blast, with two out, gave Oakland its first pinch-hit homer since August 2006 and marked the first time Morrow has blown a save after converting his first eight as the team’s closer in J.J. Putz’s absence.

Brown then brought the crowd of 15,187 at McAfee Coliseum to its feet by lining a Cesar Jimenez pitch just beyond the left-field wall to win it with one out in the 11th. The Mariners dropped their third game in four tries to the A’s, despite getting three great outings by starters that ultimately ended in losses.

“I was missing a lot of spots today,” said Morrow, who hadn’t been scored on in 172/3 innings before Cust belted a 3-1 pitch into the right-field stands. “That was the main thing. I think I fell behind every single hitter.”

Morrow struck out the next two batters, then fell behind 1-0 to Suzuki, who crushed a fastball over the wall in left-center. Despite the “bad feeling” from the loss, Morrow said he hopes to shake it off quickly and “come back with the same mentality I’ve had.”

A tight hamstring kept Ichiro Suzuki from starting for the first time this season, though he made a pinch-hit appearance for Kenji Johjima with two on and one out in the eighth inning. After failing to get down a suicide-squeeze bunt, with Adrian Beltre sprinting home from third, Ichiro walked to load the bases but Mariners failed to score in the inning.