Mariners Game Recap: M’s Bats go Silent in Oakland

The Oakland A’s (37-45) shut out the Seattle Mariners (36-43) 4-0 Thursday night in Oakland. This is a big series for the M’s, and the opener did not go well. Scott Kazmir (5-5, 2.56 ERA) breezed through the Mariners en route to earning his 5th win of the season. Roenis Elias (4-6, 4.27 ERA) pitched well, but took the loss for Seattle.

Roenis Elias was pitching for a place in the Mariners’ starting rotation tonight, and while he did pitch well, I do not think he did enough to stay in the rotation. Elias allowed 3 A’s to cross the plate on 3 hits across 6 innings. The Cuban southpaw fanned 7 and walked 1. He had better command of his pitches compared to recent starts, as 69 of his 104 pitches found the strike zone. Elias has done a commendable job the past couple months, but I expect him to be demoted soon to make room for Hisashi Iwakuma.

Tom Wilhelmsen was called on to pitch the 7th inning for Seattle, and Lloyd McClendon‘s decision proved to be a mistake. The Bartender allowed a pair of hits, and another insurance run in his lone inning of work. Joe Beimel held the A’s off the scoreboard in the 8th, but the damage had already been done.

Scott Kazmir was in vintage form on Thursday, hurling 8 shutout frames against the M’s in the series opener. The Mariners tallied just 2 hits, and Kazmir recorded 7 punch outs. The veteran southpaw is putting together another solid campaign, and he is sure to be a highly sought after target at the trade deadline later this month. Edward Mujica pitched a perfect 9th to shut the door on Seattle.

Franklin Gutierrez appeared to be the only Mariner who got the memo there was a game tonight. I picked Guti as my pick to click before the game and he did not disappoint, going 2 for 3 with a double. His 2 base knocks were the only hits Seattle had.

Josh Phegley was the spark plug for the A’s this evening, going 1 for 4 with a key 2-run double. Marcus Semien is having a nice debut season in Oakland, and he clubbed a solo home run to extend the A’s lead in the 5th. Mark Canha is only hitting .237 on the season, but he is quickly developing a reputation as a Mariner killer. Canha came through with an RBI triple in the 7th to put the game out of reach.

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The Mariners remain in 4th place in the American League West, but the division leading Houston Astros have extended their lead to 10 games. Seattle also fell in the wildcard standings, as they now trail by 6 games. Tonight’s loss really hurts, as the M’s lead the A’s by just 1/2 a game.

The Seattle Mariners (36-43) will hope to knot the series with the A’s (37-45) at a game apiece Friday night in Oakland. First pitch is scheduled for 6:07 pm from the East Bay. J.A. Happ (3-5, 3.89 ERA) will get the ball for the M’s tomorrow night, and Jesse Chavez (4-7, 3.02 ERA) will toe the rubber for the home side. Root Sports Northwest will carry the game live locally, and MLB.tv subscribers can watch worldwide on connected devices.

Next: Mariners Game Notes: Chris Taylor Starting at SS, Kuma on the Mend

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