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Eveland dominates, Barton homers as Athletics top Mariners

Aug 24, 2008 - 6:04 AM By Paul Lowenberg PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Dana Eveland picked up his first win in more than a month and Daric Barton ripped a two-run homer as the Oakland Athletics coasted to a 5-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.

Bobby Crosby had three hits and a pair of RBI for Oakland (59-70), which avoided falling 13 games below .500 for the first time since June 11, 2005.

Eveland (8-8), who was recalled from Class AAA Sacramento on Thursday, allowed one run and five hits in seven innings. He struck out seven and walked one.

Before he was sent down, Eveland had lost three of his previous four starts, giving up 20 earned runs in 17 innings for a 10.59 ERA.

"You've got to give the guys credit down there in Sacramento," Oakland manager Bob Geren said. "They saw something in his delivery they thought would help, and there's nothing better than the opportunity to try something in the minor leagues.

"It worked perfectly for him. At one point, he threw 26 out of the first 30 (pitches) for strikes. It was phenomenal."

Eveland, who was 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA in three starts with Sacramento, came to Oakland as part of the deal that sent Dan Haren to Arizona last December.

"I felt real comfortable today," Eveland said. "I was hitting my spots, throwing strikes, and that's a real easy way to get people out. It was a good day all around. It felt good to get out there again and to win again. That was just a bonus."

Oakland opened the scoring in the fourth, when Frank Thomas ended the longest hitless streak of his career at 23 at-bats with a leadoff single. Barton, who entered with the lowest average in baseball (.207), then ripped a 3-1 offering from Jarrod Washburn (5-14) into the right field seats for his sixth home run.

"It's been tough facing (Washburn)," Barton said. "I don't think I've ever had a hit off him, but he just left one in the zone and I just took advantage of it."

Crosby's RBI single in the fifth made it 3-0, and he added another in a two-run seventh. Thomas also plated a run in the frame with a base hit.

Wladimir Balentien had an RBI double for the Mariners, who lost for the 12th time in 14 games.

Seattle's only threat over the first six innings came when Raul Ibanez hit a two-out triple to center in the fourth but was stranded when Eveland struck out Jose Lopez.

The Mariners finally broke through in the seventh, when Lopez singled and scored on Balentien's double.

Washburn, who has lost five straight starts since posting a win on July 27, allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings. The lefthander, who entered with a 7.36 ERA in his previous four starts, was encouraged by the solid outing.

"I know I can still pitch good and give my team a chance to win, like I did today," Washburn said. "I'm still confident in my abilities. I have no doubt of my ability to go out and give my team a chance to win. It's not happening."