News
Athletics switch focus to Mariners
Oakland (75-81) at Seattle (80-75), 7:10 p.m. PT
By Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com
09/27/09 8:50 PM ET
ANAHEIM -- The A's are done tormenting both contending teams in the American League West -- at least for now. After winning five of seven against Rangers and taking two out of three from the Angels over the past two weeks, the A's travel to Seattle for a three-game series starting Tuesday against Mariners, who, like the A's, are already eliminated from postseason contention. But it doesn't mean the A's have nothing to play for, as they want to continue to finish their season on a high note with the team currently having the best record in the Majors this month at 17-8 after winning 11 of its last 14 games. The A's also have a positive run differential this season that's even better than the first-place Tigers in the American League Central. So with a strong finish, it adds to hope for next season. "There's not a lot to be excited about for the rest of this season, but we're just trying to play good baseball," second baseman Mark Ellis said. "We're just trying to play well to close the season and hopefully it'll carry into next year." The A's also have an outside shot at avoiding a losing record on the season for the third straight year, but they have to win the last six games of the season to finish at 81-81. But it'll be a tough challenge, especially with Mariners ace Felix Hernandez on the mound on Tuesday against A's rookie Trevor Cahill in the first game of the three-game series. Hernandez, though, struggled in his one start against Oakland this season, giving up five runs in five innings way back on April 11. But since that start, Hernandez has gone 16-5 with a 2.38 ERA in 30 starts. It's one of the reasons why A's manager Bob Geren said his team isn't focusing on finishing at least .500 this season. Instead, his team is holding on to the old adage of taking each game as it comes. It certainly worked over the weekend when they won against the Angels in games started by Jered Weaver and John Lackey before falling to Joe Saunders on Sunday. "[We're] not really focused on [finishing .500]," Geren said. "You look at the schedule and you have Weaver, Lackey, Saunders and Hernandez right in a row. We've faced some tough pitching, so we've trying not to focus on the games that are coming tomorrow. It's been like that every day, and we've been performing well." The series against Seattle concludes a six-game road trip for Oakland before the team hosts the Angels for three more games next weekend to close the season. Pitching matchupOAK: RHP Trevor Cahill (10-12, 4.45 ERA)
Cahill, a 21-year-old rookie, has had his share of ups and downs this season but is on a strong finishing kick. He's 3-0 with a 3.05 ERA in four September starts, and his past two outings have been among his best. In consecutive starts against the Rangers, Cahill allowed one run on seven hits and four walks over 12 2/3 innings, including seven shutout innings of one-hit work in Texas. Armed with three pitches -- fastball, slider, changeup -- with excellent downward movement, Cahill has faced the Mariners three times this year and is 0-2 despite a 1.90 ERA and a .227 batting average against over 19 innings. SEA: RHP Felix Hernandez (17-5, 2.49 ERA)
The staff ace continues his quest for the Cy Young Award, making the penultimate start of his breakout season. The right-hander is coming off his 27th quality start and surpassed the 200-strikeouts mark for the first time in his career with a season-high 11 against the Blue Jays. Hernandez is 4-0 with one no-decision in September, surrendering five earned runs in 40 innings. This will be his second start against the Athletics, with the other on April 11 at Oakland. He allowed five earned runs in five innings and received a no-decision in the Mariners' 8-5 win. Dribblers ...
Third baseman Adam Kennedy, right fielder Ryan Sweeney and catcher Kurt Suzuki were held out of the starting lineup on Sunday. ... The A's are 5-11 against the Mariners this season. ... Oakland's off-day on Monday is the team's last of the season. Tickets
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• KTRB 860, KDIA 1640 (Español) Up next
• Wednesday: Athletics (Clay Mortensen, 2-3, 6.07) at Mariners (Doug Fister, 2-4, 4.50), 7:10 p.m. PT
• Thursday: Athletics (Brett Anderson, 11-10, 4.12) at Mariners (Ian Snell, 7-10, 4.86), 7:10 p.m. PT
• Friday: Athletics (Gio Gonzalez, 6-6, 5.73) vs. Angels (TBD), 7:05 p.m. PT
Rhett Bollinger is reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
