Mariners 4, A's 0

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Catcher Henry Blanco made a grand entrance Saturday with the Seattle Mariners, his 11th major-league team.

One day after signing as a free agent, the 41-year-old Blanco hit his second career grand slam in his Mariners debut, lifting Seattle to a 4-0 victory over the Oakland A's at the O.co Coliseum.

Blanco's sixth-inning slam off A's starter A.J. Griffin provided more than enough offense for Mariners ace Felix Hernandez, who pitched seven shutout innings, improving to 8-4. He struck out eight and walked one before turning the game over to the bullpen.

Mariners designated hitter Kendrys Morales led off the sixth with a sharp single to right and moved to third on a one-out double to right-center field by Michael Morse, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles. After Griffin threw three straight balls and fell behind Michael Saunders 3-1, A's manager Bob Melvin ordered an intentional walk, loading the bases.

Blanco, who came into the game hitting .184 and was 0-2 to that point against Griffin, wasted no time. He launched Griffin's first pitch -- an 88 mph fastball -- high and deep down the left-field line and into the seats, giving Seattle a 4-0 lead.

Blanco hit his first grand slam as a Milwaukee Brewer on May 12, 2000, off Pittsburgh's Jason Schmidt. Thirteen seasons later, he cleared the bases again. His second slam came one day after Mariners rookie catcher Mike Zunino hit his first major-league home run.

Mariners left-hander Charlie Furbush pitched a scoreless eighth but gave way to Yoervis Medina after allowing a leadoff single to Coco Crisp in the ninth. Medina walked pinch-hitter Derek Norris but then retired the next three A's he faced in order, ending the game.

Griffin lost his third straight decision and fell to 5-6. He allowed four runs and eight hits, striking out three and walking two. Coming into the game, he was 3-0 all time against the Mariners and 7-0 against the American League West.

The Mariners beat the A's for the second straight time and will go for the series sweep on Sunday. The A's haven't been swept at home this season, but they'll face Seattle right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma, who is 7-1 with a 1.79 ERA.

It came as no surprise that Hernandez had his way with the A's.

Hernandez entered the game with a 14-6 record and 2.70 ERA in his career against the A's. One of those wins came on Opening Day this season at the Coliseum when he blanked the A's for 7 2/3 innings on three hits in a 2-0 Mariners victory.

The A's threatened to score in the first when former Mariners catcher John Jaso walked with one out and moved to second on Brandon Moss' line-drive single to right. But Hernandez struck out third baseman Josh Donaldson with a 94 mph fastball.

Then in the fifth, Hernandez got a great defensive play from right fielder Endy Chavez to keep the A's off the scoreboard.

Jed Lowrie led off with a double then tagged and went to third on Smith's flyout to deep center. When Chris Young flied out to right, Lowrie tagged up and headed home, but Chavez threw a one-hop strike to Blanco, who made a diving tag for the third out.

Griffin gave up back-to-back singles to Raul Ibanez and Morse in the second but retired the next three Mariners. After giving up a two-out double to Morse in the fourth, Griffin retired Saunders on a ground ball to the mound.

Griffin escaped more trouble in the fifth. With two outs, Chavez reached on an infield single and moved to third when Nick Franklin roped a double down the line past a diving Moss. But Griffin retired Kyle Seager on a popup to Donaldson in foul territory.

NOTES: Blanco and Hernandez, fellow Venezuelans, were teammates during the World Baseball Classic. Zunino will return to the starting lineup on Sunday, Seattle manager Eric Wedge said. ... A's RF Josh Reddick got a rare day off against a right-handed pitcher. Young, who went 3-for-3 with a home run and double on Friday night, started in right. "Any time you have a night like that, it's nice to be rewarded with another game," Melvin said. ... After missing three straight starts with a bruised right heel, Crisp returned to the lineup. ... Donaldson (strained right hamstring) returned to the lineup after missing one game. ... Wedge said 1B Justin Smoak (strained right oblique) could be activated from the disabled list during the Mariners' next series, which begins Monday against the Angels at Anaheim. He's on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma.