Russell Branyan gets the Mariners' offense rolling in 6-1 win

OAKLAND, Calif. — That garbage pile of Mariners runners left out at the curb was really starting to stink until Russell Branyan came up with a solution.

With the score tied in the sixth and his team stranding runners in scoring position at a dismal rate going on four weeks, the slugging first baseman didn't wait for anyone to advance to second or third base before flexing his powerful arms. The result was a no-doubt, two-run homer to right field that propelled Seattle to an eventual 6-1 win Wednesday afternoon over an Oakland Athletics team that had previously given the Mariners every opportunity to break the game open.

Branyan's towering blast seemed to briefly ignite a Seattle offense that had done little right all day while providing starting pitcher Erik Bedard and the bullpen some space they'd been looking for.

"If I'm sitting there on the bench and it's a tie ballgame and somebody goes out there and goes deep and gives us a two-run lead, I think it's a big lift," Branyan said. "Especially the way things are going. Lately we've been coming out and getting a lead and giving it up late. But to be battling like that and have Bedard out there throwing the ball real well and then have the big momentum shift mid-game I think is really nice."

Seattle entered the day with a .249 average with runners in scoring position, on pace for their worst total in that category in 16 years. After hitting .324 with runners in scoring position the first 25 games in compiling a 15-10 record, the Mariners had slipped to .161 their last 22 contests in going 6-16.

That was before Branyan rewarded Bedard for his eventual 6-2/3 innings of one-run ball by providing him a lead. A crowd of 30,012 at the Coliseum groaned in unison as the ball left Branyan's bat for his 11th homer of the year off A's starter Trevor Cahill.

The embattled Yuniesky Betancourt, a big reason for all the stranded runners of late, later delivered a huge sacrifice fly in the seventh off reliever Brad Ziegler to make it 4-1. Sean White relieved Bedard with two on, two out in the bottom of the inning, got Orlando Cabrera to line out softly to third, then pitched through the eighth.

Seattle added a pair off Russ Springer in the ninth courtesy of four straight hits.

But the offense still floundered at key moments. The Mariners twice stranded a runner at third base with none out. Three times, they left a runner at third with fewer than two out. They also ended four different innings with a runner stuck at third.

"It was kind of a strange game for me," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said. "I think Bedard pitched well enough to kind of allow us to get through some of the mistakes offensively that we made."

Wakamatsu did single out some players for a strong performance, including Ichiro, who extended his hitting streak to 21 games with a leadoff double in the first.

Struggling catcher Rob Johnson also doubled twice — giving him three doubles in two games. Endy Chavez had a triple, scored a run, delivered a key bunt single in the ninth off Springer and also was one of the few Mariners to get a runner home from third with a ground out in the second inning.

That grounder gave Seattle a 1-0 lead, but Bobby Crosby tied it with a solo homer off Bedard in the bottom of the second. Both teams settled in for a stretch of scoreless innings after that until Branyan helped wake the bats up.

"That was nice, putting together four hits in a row," Bedard said of the rally in the ninth. "We battled out there. That's all we can do. Hopefully it continues and we can win more games."

It should be noted that the Mariners still finished that ninth by failing to add more runs despite having runners at the corners with none out. So, it remains to be seen whether this game will have any "carry over" on the offense.

"We're all going out there, playing as hard as we can and trying to get the job done," Branyan said.

Later, he added: "Today could be a turning point."

We'll see.

Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or gbaker@seattletimes.com.

Read his daily blog at www.seattletimes.com/Mariners