Mariners 2 - 1 Athletics
Final
  for this game

Mariners send Pineda to hill in Oakland

Jul 4, 2011 - 2:47 PM

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(Sports Network) - Michael Pineda tries to continue his impressive rookie campaign this afternoon when the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics open a three-game series at the Coliseum.

Despite holding opponents to a .198 batting average and posting a 2.65 earned run average, Pineda was not selected to the American League's roster for the All-Star Game. The 22-year-old right-hander, though, has lost three of his last four decisions and has just one win over his past seven starts.

Pineda, who tossed six scoreless innings to beat the A's earlier in the year, was defeated by the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, as he allowed five runs (four earned) and four hits with five walks in 6 1/3 innings to fall to 7-5 on the year.

While Pineda goes tonight, the Mariners received an impressive effort from another young arm to capture their series with the San Diego Padres on Sunday, as Blake Beavan threw seven strong innings to lead Seattle to a 3-1 victory.

Beavan (1-0) was selected 17th overall in the 2007 draft by Texas, and came to the Mariners as part of last year's Cliff Lee trade. The club called him up Sunday, when he allowed only one run to grab the win for Seattle, which went 5-1 against San Diego this season thanks to its strong staff.

Mariners pitchers gave up only three earned runs and four overall, good for a 0.50 ERA.

They set that mark only after David Pauley escaped a bases-loaded situation in the eighth and All-Star Brandon League worked a perfect ninth for his 22nd save.

Oakland, meanwhile, took two of three from Arizona over the weekend. On Sunday, Gio Gonzalez threw seven strong innings and Conor Jackson and Scott Sizemore each had two-run home runs, helping the A's to a 7-2 win.

Gonzalez (8-5) allowed one run on five hits and three walks while fanning seven on the day he found out he made his first All-Star team. He also tossed a career-high 119 pitches as the Athletics improved to 3-3 on a nine-game homestand.

"There was a lot more going through his head," Athletics manager Bob Melvin said of Gonzalez. "You want him to focus and not have any more distractions."

Getting the call for the A's tonight will be righty Brandon McCarthy, who was activated from the disabled list on Sunday. McCarthy hasn't pitched since May 18 and is 1-4 on the year with a 3.39 ERA.

He lost to Seattle the last time he faced them, despite giving up just a run in eight innings. For his career, McCarthy is 1-3 versus the Mariners with a 5.45 ERA.

Seattle is 4-3 against the A's this season.






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