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Clement drives in three as Mariners top Athletics

Aug 23, 2008 - 6:23 AM By Paul Lowenberg PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Rookie Jeff Clement drove in three runs and Jose Lopez added two RBI to lead the Seattle Mariners to a 7-5 win over the Oakland Athletics on Friday.

The A's, who were seeking to win back-to-back games for the first time since July 10-11, instead fell to a major league-worst 7-26 since the All-Star break.

Seattle scored twice in the seventh off reliever Jerry Blevins (1-3) to snap a 5-5 deadlock. Adrian Beltre hit a leadoff double and scored on a one-out single by Lopez, who crossed the plate on Clement's double to left-center field.

"We're trying to get him going and get him on a good little streak," Mariners manager Jim Riggleman said of his rookie catcher. "He's having to do it against all these lefthanders and he's battling. He took a couple of big steps forward tonight with a couple of big at-bats against lefthanders."

Clement, who is hitting .350 (21-for-60) for the month of August, tied his career high with three RBI.

Roy Corcoran (4-0) worked two scoreless innings for the victory, while J.J. Putz pitched the ninth for his eighth save in 15 opportunities and first since June 9.

"It's just a matter of being consistently sharp," said Putz, who had spent time on the disabled list with a hyperextended right elbow. "I think I'm getting there. The velocity's starting to come back and the fastball command is starting to come back. The split is still inconsistent, but I threw some good sliders today."

Cliff Pennington's two-run single highlighted a four-run sixth as the A's took a 5-4 lead. Sean Green, working in relief of starter Ryan Feierabend, was reached for four runs and two hits while hitting two batters and retiring just one.

But the Mariners came back to tie it at 5-5 in the bottom of the sixth on Ichiro Suzuki's run-scoring groundout.

Replacing Jack Cust, who left the game after the second inning with blurred vision, Rajai Davis hit a solo shot that curled around the left field foul pole in the fourth to open the scoring. But Seattle erupted for four runs in the bottom half on Lopez's RBI double, Clement's two-run, two-base hit and Miguel Cairo's squeeze bunt.

Feierabend surrendered one run and five hits in five innings in his second start this season after going 7-1 in that role at Class AAA Tacoma. He struck out five without a walk, leaving with a 4-1 lead.

Gio Gonzalez made his fourth career start for Oakland and lasted five innings, allowing four runs - two earned - five hits and three walks with seven strikeouts.

In his previous outing against the Chicago White Sox, Gonzalez was tagged for eight runs and five walks in just 3 1/3 innings.

"Gio was a lot better than his last start," Oakland manager Bob Geren said. "He attacked the zone. One inning kind of got him, and we extended it with an error. It was a pretty good performance."

Oakland second baseman Mark Ellis also left the contest in the second inning with tightness in his right shoulder.

A's designated hitter Frank Thomas, who grounded into a game-ending double play, went 0-for-4 to extend his hitless drought to a career-high 23 at-bats.