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Athletics-Mariners Preview

Aug 24, 2009 - 4:31 AM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Oakland (54-68) at Seattle (63-60), 10:10 p.m. EDT

If the Seattle Mariners are going to mount any type of run at the AL wild card, they'll need to begin turning around a difficult stretch. Consecutive series against last-place teams at Safeco Field could help.

The Mariners open a 10-game homestand Monday night when they face the Oakland Athletics.

Seattle (63-61) is 7 1/2 games behind wild card-leading Boston. The Mariners' chances at getting back into the playoff chase have taken a significant blow of late, as they've dropped seven of 10.

They fell 6-1 at Cleveland on Sunday to lose the last two games of a three-game set and conclude a 2-4 trip.

"We can't afford to make critical mistakes," manager Don Wakamatsu told the Mariners' official Web site. "That's the bottom line."

Seattle has a chance to improve its position in the standings with the next two series, starting with a three-game set against Oakland (55-68) before Kansas City comes in to play four games. Both clubs are at the bottom of their respective divisions, while the Royals own the worst record in the AL at 47-76.

The Mariners have won six of the last seven home meetings with the A's and have taken 13 of 16 from the Royals at Safeco.

Wakamatsu will likely have to decide between starting Jack Wilson or Josh Wilson at shortstop Monday. Jack Wilson has missed the last nine games with a left hamstring injury and owns a .222 average in 13 games with Seattle after being acquired with Ian Snell - the scheduled starter Monday - in a seven-player deal from Pittsburgh on July 29.

He was hitting .267 with four homers and 31 RBIs in 75 games for the Pirates prior to the trade.

Josh Wilson, who has played for six teams since making his major league debut in 2005, has filled in splendidly, hitting .423 with two homers and four RBIs in the last seven games.

"He's forcing us to look at him in a little bit of a different light," Wakamatsu said. "There is some offensive ability in there. I think he adds value, and his stats prove that."

Snell (1-1, 6.63) is looking to build on his first win with the Mariners in his first start against Oakland.

The right-hander allowed one run in 5 2-3 innings of a 3-1 win at Central-leading Detroit on Wednesday. That was a vast improvement from his previous outing six days earlier, when he was tagged for eight runs and nine hits - two homers - in six innings of an 11-1 loss to New York.

The A's are coming off Sunday's 9-4 win over the Tigers to take the last two games of that three-game series.

They'll give the ball to rookie Vin Mazzaro (4-8, 5.31), who is 2-0 with a 3.52 ERA in his last three starts after going 0-8 with a 7.22 ERA in his previous 10.

The 22-year-old right-hander didn't receive a decision Tuesday after allowing two runs in five innings of a 7-2 loss to the Yankees.