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Mariners-Athletics Preview

Sep 7, 2010 - 12:59 AM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Seattle (54-83) at Oakland (67-69), 10:05 p.m. EDT

Oakland Athletics left-hander Dallas Braden has allowed more than one run once in his last five starts. An outing against the light-hitting Seattle Mariners could help him continue that stretch of solid pitching.

The A's look to win their seventh straight at home in this matchup Tuesday night when the Mariners try to avoid scoring three or fewer runs in a franchise record-tying 12th straight game.

After going 3-1 with a 1.45 ERA in his previous three starts, Braden (9-10, 3.23 ERA) was forced to leave in the sixth inning of his last outing with heat-related cramps. He said he felt better after receiving an IV.

"That's why it was so scary to me, because I've never cramped up like that before," Braden told the A's official web site after yielding one run and two hits in Thursday's 5-0 loss at Yankee Stadium. "I thought my leg was falling off."

Braden, who is trying to reach double-digit wins for the first time, is 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA in two starts against the Mariners (54-84) this season. The left-hander threw a four-hitter - his fourth career complete game - in a 5-1 victory at Seattle on Aug. 11.

Braden will face a Mariners team that is last in the majors in batting average (.235) and runs per game (3.2). Seattle is hitting .223 while going 11 straight games without scoring four runs. The longest such streak in club history was 12 set June 10-22, 1988.

"... Overall, we didn't do a whole lot against them," interim manager Daren Brown said following Monday's 6-2 loss.

The Mariners, who have dropped six straight at Oakland (68-69) since a season-opening win April 5, will give the ball to Doug Fister (4-11, 3.85).

The right-hander has lost his last three starts and has one victory in his last 11 decisions.

Fister gave up one hit in the first five innings of his last outing, but was tagged for four sixth-inning runs in Thursday's 6-3 loss to Cleveland.

"Before the sixth inning, I made pitches," Fister said. "In the sixth, they weren't in the quality locations they needed to be."

Fister is 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA in three starts against Oakland this season, with both victories coming in Seattle.

He should be careful pitching to center fielder Coco Crisp, who hit the A's first leadoff homer of the season Monday and is batting .412 (7 for 17) versus Seattle in 2010.

First baseman Daric Barton, 4 for 10 versus Fister, went 2 for 4 with two runs in the series opener and is batting .417 with six RBIs in Seattle's seven visits to the Coliseum.

Mariners center fielder Franklin Gutierrez, who hit a solo homer Monday after missing two games with a stomach bug, is hitting .341 with a homer and six RBIs against Oakland this season.

Ichiro Suzuki is batting .400 during an eight-game hitting streak, but has just one RBI and two runs during this stretch. He has five hits in 17 at-bats versus Braden.

The last time Oakland posted seven straight home victories against Seattle was 2006 when it won all nine matchups.