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Athletics-Mariners Preview

Oct 3, 2010 - 6:48 AM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Oakland (80-81) at Seattle (61-100), 4:10 p.m. EDT

The Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners both hoped to challenge in the AL West this season behind talented pitching staffs. Neither saw that happen.

A day after Seattle secured a 100-loss season, Oakland look to finish at .500 in its regular-season finale Sunday.

The Athletics (80-81) will try to complete a four-game sweep of the Mariners (61-100) after posting a 5-3 win Saturday as Mark Ellis, Jack Cust and Chris Carter all homered. Oakland, which has gone deep seven times this series, is second-to-last in the AL with 107 home runs, leading only Seattle.

"The starting pitching has been outstanding all year, defense has played great," reliever Brad Ziegler told the Athletics' official website. "We just didn't have that one 30-homer bat that kind of puts fear into the other team."

Oakland, which hadn't won more than 76 games in the previous three seasons, is trying to finish ahead of the Angels for second place in the AL West. It enters Sunday with a one-game lead.

Meanwhile, Seattle, which won 85 games last year, took a huge step back in 2010. The Mariners have lost 100 games for the second time in three seasons, and only the fifth time in their 34-year history.

"We went through it a couple of years ago as well," said interim manager Daren Brown, who took over when Don Wakamatsu was fired in August. "It's not easy. But I think anything that is that tough mentally and the things you go through like that make you stronger in the future."

One of the lone bright spots for Seattle was ace Felix Hernandez, who could have pitched Sunday and helped his cause for the AL Cy Young award, but Seattle didn't want to increase his workload with nothing left to play for.

Ryan Rowland-Smith (1-10, 6.90 ERA) will take Hernandez's turn in the rotation, and make his first start since July 27.

Rowland-Smith spent more than a month on the disabled list with a lower back strain after giving up 11 runs and 11 hits in five innings of his most recent start against Chicago. He's made four relief appearances since, allowing four runs and eight hits in six innings.

The left-hander is 0-2 with an 8.59 ERA in three starts against Oakland this season. Cust is 6 for 14 against him over his career.

The Athletics will hand the ball to Dallas Braden (10-14, 3.50), who closes out a memorable season highlighted by a perfect game against playoff-bound Tampa Bay on May 9.

The left-hander, who struggled after that gem and spent time on the disabled list, has lost five of his last six starts. He gave up four runs and 10 hits in seven innings of a 4-2 defeat to the Angels on Tuesday.

Braden is 1-1 with a 3.43 ERA in three starts against the Mariners this season. He pitched a four-hitter in a 5-1 victory in Seattle on Aug. 11.