Mariners
Mariners on road to nowhere

By Bob Finnigan
Seattle Times staff reporter

JED JACOBSOHN / GETTY IMAGES As Randy Winn slides into second base, Mark McLemore of the Athletics sets up to throw to first to complete a double play off a ball hit by Bret Boone. It was one of three double plays hit into by the Mariners last night in Oakland, Calif.

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OAKLAND, Calif. — The 1916 Philadelphia Athletics, wherever they are, may be getting anxious. Their streak is in jeopardy.

Those A's, ancestors of the present Oakland club, hold the American League record for consecutive road losses, and the Mariners are in cold pursuit of that dishonor.

According to the official baseball record book, the old Philly club dropped 19 straight that year. Seattle dropped its 14th in a row last night, 5-3 to Oakland at Network Associates Coliseum, equaling the team mark for setbacks out of a suitcase set May 21-June 21, 1988.

"Nineteen eighty-eight?" said Edgar Martinez, who was winning the Pacific Coast League batting title at .363 at the time. "I don't remember that far back.

"I do know you don't consider losing in streaks any more than you do of winning a lot. You take each game separately and concentrate on that game."

While Ryan Franklin has a streak within the streak going, having lost a career-worst fifth straight decision, the pitcher spoke only of the team.

"It's frustrating for everyone," said the right-hander, who has not won in six starts dating back to June 5.

Mariners update Winning pitcher: Mark Redman (7-8) Losing pitcher: Ryan Franklin (3-9) Key to the game: The Mariners hit into three double plays in the first four innings. Today: Mariners at Oakland, 12:35 p.m., KOMO (1000 AM) Starting pitchers: M's Jamie Moyer (6-7, 4.46) vs. Mark Mulder (13-3, 3.51)

Justin Leone provided the only notable bright spot for Seattle, hitting a two-run home run, his fourth, in the seventh inning to cut into Oakland's 4-1 lead.

In a sense, the Mariners got a less obvious break when Miguel Olivo was hit in the right elbow by Oakland closer Octavio Dotel on the first pitch of the ninth inning.

Trainer Rick Griffin came out as Olivo was in obvious pain at the plate, but the catcher stayed in the game and later said he was all right.

With Olivo on first, manager Bob Melvin had the option of hitting Bucky Jacobsen, taking a shot at a long ball to get the game even.

But he instead took a shot at a longer inning.

"Willie (Bloomquist) had been swinging the bat well," the manager said. "Bucky was cold and had never seen Dotel before. I thought Willie had a better chance to get on base and get us to the top of the order with two on."

Like Leone before him and Ichiro after him, Bloomquist, who had hits in his previous two times up, went down swinging as Dotel fanned the side in the ninth.

It began as so many Mariners games do, with Ichiro flicking a single to the opposite field. Oakland starter Mark Redman walked Randy Winn and Bret Boone bunted for a hit.

With the bases loaded and no outs, it seemed Seattle was taking a page from Oakland's playbook of Monday, when the A's did that in two crucial innings.

Alas, it was not to be a copy at all. Martinez managed to work the count to 2-2 and grounded into a 5-4-3 double play that got Ichiro home but gutted any chance at a big inning.

"We had the right guy up there in Edgar in that situation," Melvin said. "But Redman made a good pitch to him and Edgar rolled over on it."

Martinez said Redman was working up in the strike zone, "but that last changeup he threw me was down and I went for it."

After Martinez hit into his double play in the first, Boone did it in the third, an inning in which Ichiro led with his second single of the night.

Martinez opened the fourth with a single, but with one out, Spiezio hit into a 5-4-3 and Seattle was thwarted again.

Meantime, Franklin dropped his 1-0 lead in the second when the Athletics scored twice to take a 2-1 lead.

Scott Hatteberg opened the inning with a single up the middle, and Franklin walked Bobby Crosby to put the first two batters on.

Then the right-hander hung a fastball to Erubiel Durazo for a key double, scoring Hatteberg to tie the score, 1-1, and putting two runners in scoring position.

Bobby Kielty grounded out, but Eric Byrnes hit a sacrifice fly to center to get Crosby home and make it 2-1.

While the M's were grounding into double plays, the A's were adding to their lead.

With one out in the fourth, Crosby hit his 15th homer. The rookie has more home runs than any Seattle player.

"I threw him two real good pitches before the homer that could have been strikes," Franklin said. "As you have been seeing, it's a tight strike zone here, and when you're at 2-1 and you need to throw a strike, you have to throw the ball over the plate."

Franklin caught a lot of plate, and Crosby hit all of the ball.

The shot into the left-field seats was the 18th allowed by Franklin, only third on the Seattle staff, trailing Jamie Moyer (28) and Joel Pineiro (21).

With two outs in the fifth, Mark Kotsay doubled to left and Mark McLemore singled to center to score the run, giving Oakland a 4-1 lead.

Redman rode the three-run edge for an inning until Leone, who shows great power when he connects, made it a one-run game.

Bob Finnigan: 206-464-8276 or bfinnigan@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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