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Cust homer pushes Athletics past Mariners

Sep 22, 2008 - 12:28 AM By Al Barba PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

OAKLAND, California (Ticker) -- Jack Cust provided the Oakland Athletics' fans with one last memory to take into the offseason.

Cust hit a two-run home run to the opposite field in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Oakland Athletics to a 5-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.

The win completed a three-game sweep as Oakland closed out its 2008 home season.

Cust's blast, his 30th of the season, came off reliever Miguel Batista (4-14), who was unable to hold a 3-1 lead after entering the game in the seventh. Seattle lost its 11th consecutive game and completed an 11-game road trip winless.

"It was great to get that monkey off my back a little bit," Cust said of reaching the 30-home run plateau for the first time in his career. "That at-bat I was just trying to drive the ball to left field. I got a pitch out over the plate."

Brad Ziegler (3-0) earned the win after pitching a scoreless eighth inning and Joey Devine worked the ninth to register his first career save.

Brandon Morrow started for the Mariners and held the Athletics hitless for 5 1/3 innings before Carlos Gonzalez followed a walk with a double to right field that put runners on second and third. Morrow worked out of the inning as he struck out Ryan Sweeney and got Cust to foul out to end the threat.

It marked the fourth career start for Morrow and second time he has held an opponent hitless through five innings. In his first start against the New York Yankees on September 5, Morrow had a no-hitter for 7 2/3 before allowing a pinch-hit double to Wilson Betemit.

"Sometimes, it's losing concentration I guess at the end of the inning. I get two outs and then had a couple of those (walks). You can't worry about. I'm going to walk guys. I'm just going to try to keep them off the bases," Morrow said. "If I don't give up hits, they're not going to hurt me too much. The walks hurt me a little bit in terms of pitch count and then at the end there."

Oakland finally broke through against Morrow in the seventh, tying the game with three runs. With one out, Cliff Pennington walked and scored on a double over the head of Raul Ibanez in left field.

Morrow then issued a walk to Daric Barton and was relieved by Batista, who promptly allowed a two-run double to pinch-hitter Aaron Cunningham that tied the score.

In his 6 1/3 innings of work, Morrow allowed two hits, three runs, walked five and struck out six.

"We certainly would have liked Brandon to get through the seventh and bring Miguel in for the eighth and J.J. (Putz) in the ninth," Mariners manager Jim Riggleman said. "But that formula just hasn't been there for us."

The Mariners strung together back-to-back doubles by Jose Lopez and Jeremy Reed in the fourth inning to take a 1-0 lead against Sean Gallagher.

Seattle added to its lead in the seventh, scoring twice on two-out, run-scoring singles by Ichiro Suzuki and pinch hitter Yuniesky Betancourt against reliever Jerry Blevins.

Gallagher started the seventh and allowed a leadoff single to Miguel Cairo and a two-out walk to Luis Valbuena before being relieved by Blevins. Oakland's rookie righthander tossed 6 2/3 innings, surrendered four hits, three runs, yielded three walks and struck out five in his final home outing of the season.

"It feels good. Being able to be healthy and being back out there and able to help the team is satisfying and able to show them what I can do. It was a good day today," Gallagher said. "I feel normal. I feel like I'm able to do what I know I'm capable of."