Seattle @ Oakland preview

Seattle at Oakland

Last Meeting ( Sep 6, 2010 ) Seattle 2, Oakland 6

When are the Seattle Mariners going to score at least four runs?

The Mariners have gone 11 consecutive games with three runs or less, sporting a 4-7 record. They are one contest from tying the all-time team record of 12 consecutive games with three runs or fewer from June 10-22, 1988.

More feeble efforts like Monday’s and the Mariners will easily surpass their record for offensive futility.

Oakland hurler Brett Anderson kept Seattle under wraps in throwing a season-high 7 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and four hits en route to a 6-2 victory. He also struck out four and walked none.

Anderson was backed by homers from Coco Crisp and Matt Carson. Crisp hit the A’s first leadoff homer of the season.

Oakland (68-69) can run its home winning streak to seven games over the Mariners (54-84) and win the series Tuesday night when Dallas Braden (9-10, 3.23 ERA) faces Doug Fister (4-11, 3.85 ERA).

For a team seven games out of first place behind the AL West-leading Texas Rangers, the Athletics made an unusual move Monday. They sent starting right-hander Vin Mazzaro to Triple-A Sacramento just when most clubs are expanding rosters per September rules.

Mazzaro was 0-6 with a 5.60 ERA in his last eight starts. He is 6-8 with a 4.29 ERA in 21 games with the A’s in two different stints.

The hurler is expected to pitch for the River Cats when they open a series Wednesday against Seattle’s Triple-A affiliate, Tacoma. The A’s could bring him back after Sacramento’s playoffs end, but the team did not confirm those plans.

Braden was 3-1 with a 1.45 ERA in his previous three outings. He left in the sixth inning of his last start Thursday against the New York Yankees because of cramping.

The left-hander is 5-3 with a 2.32 ERA in nine starts since his return from the disabled list on July 20. He is 2-1 with a 4.05 ERA in six career appearances against Seattle and threw a four-hitter at Seattle on Aug. 11.

Fister hopes to avoid the zigzag nature of his most recent start against the Cleveland Indians on Sept. 2, when he became unglued in the sixth inning.

He started by allowing one hit through five innings and retiring 14 straight batters. With a 3-0 lead in the sixth inning, Fister was thrashed for four runs and five consecutive hits, the biggest a bases-clearing double by Shin-Soo Choo.

Fister left with tread marks all over him, throwing 32 pitches in the inning and getting just one out en route to suffering his 10th loss in 11 starts.

The right-hander is 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA in five career starts against Oakland and is 2-1 at the Coliseum this season.

Seattle received some good news Monday.

Center fielder Franklin Gutierrez returned after missing two games with a stomach illness and hit his 11th home run. He also doubled and boosted his average to .252.

What’s so significant about that? He is the only member of the Mariners aside from Ichiro Suzuki (.312) to be hitting above .250.

Those are the kind of baby steps that qualify as progress for a club 21 1/2 games out of first and vying for the American League's worst record.