Currently: Returning home from a losing road trip might not make things easier for the Oakland Athletics.
The A’s look to avoid a third straight loss and ninth in a row at home to the last-place Seattle Mariners in the opener of a four-game set on Monday night.
Oakland (47-41) lost 4-3 at Chicago on Sunday to split the four-game series, finish 3-4 on the trip and fall six games behind first-place Los Angeles in the AL West.
Now, the A’s return home to face Seattle (35-53), which despite owning the worst record in the AL, has swept its last three series at Oakland, including a brief two-game set April 16-17. The Mariners have won 10 of 11 overall at McAfee Coliseum, where the A’s are 27-21.
Seattle has won three of the five meetings between the teams in 2008.
On Sunday, the A’s didn’t get their first hit until the sixth inning, but scored two in the seventh and one in the ninth before Jack Cust flied out with two on to end the game.
“They just fight right to the end. It’s kind of been the mood of our team,” manager Bob Geren told the Athletics’ official Web site. “We were right there.”
Backup catcher Rob Bowen had a two-run double and Mark Ellis drove in a run for Oakland, which scored four runs in the final two games at Chicago after recording 10 to win the first two.
The A’s were hit hard by injuries last week, placing infielders Eric Chavez (shoulder) and Bobby Crosby (hamstring) on the disabled list. They hope to have rookie outfielders Carlos Gonzalez (hamstring), Ryan Sweeney (ankle) and shortstop Donnie Murphy (elbow) back after each was held out of the starting lineup Sunday.
Sweeney is bating .375 (9-for-24) with a homer and five RBIs in his last seven games, but is just 1-for-14 (.071) against Seattle this season.
Oakland looks to Dana Eveland (6-5, 3.42 ERA) to help bounce back as he tries for a third straight winning decision.
Though he is 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA in his last four starts, Eveland allowed three runs and four hits in 5 2-3 innings, but didn’t factor in a 7-4 road loss to the Angels on Wednesday. The left-hander allowed three runs in 5 1-3 innings of Oakland’s 4-3 victory at Seattle on April 25 in his only previous start versus the Mariners.
Seattle counters with Jarrod Washburn (4-7, 5.08), who is also trying for a third consecutive victory. For the second straight game, he allowed two runs and seven hits, this time in six innings of a 4-2 win over Toronto on Wednesday.
“I feel good physically. Mechanically, I feel great,” said Washburn, 2-0 with a 2.30 ERA over his last five starts.
The left-hander, who has not faced the A’s this season, is 8-13 with a 4.08 ERA in 31 lifetime starts against Oakland.
Despite falling 2-1 in 15 innings to Detroit on Sunday, Seattle hits the road off a 4-3 homestand and is 10-6 since Jim Riggleman replaced the fired John McLaren on June 20.
Ichiro Suzuki had one of the Mariners’ six hits Sunday in a game where his club ran out of available relief pitchers and were forced to use backup catcher Jamie Burke to pitch the 15th.
“I said I wanted to. I asked (to pitch),” said Suzuki, who was named to his eighth consecutive All-Star team Sunday.
Suzuki is hitting .302 on the season and .407 (11-for-27) this month. The reigning All-Star MVP, however, is 4-for-22 (.182) against Oakland this season.
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