Oakland @ Seattle preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 8, 2010 ) Seattle 3, Oakland 4

The Oakland Athletics are limping to the finish line. The Seattle Mariners have been crawling just about all season.

Both clubs have reasons to play out the string.

The Athletics travel to the Pacific Northwest in the midst of a season-high losing streak to play the Mariners in the final series of the 2010 campaign.

Oakland was swept in a three-game set by the Los Angeles Angels in the midst of six straight losses to fall one game behind the Angels for second place in the American League West, a spot they held since Aug. 18. The A’s have second place to play for, while a sweep against the Mariners will get them to .500 for the first time since 2006.

Seattle, on the other hand, has struggled mightily since starting the season 9-7. The Mariners have played at a .380 clip since and have been entrenched in last place in the AL West since May 7.

Scoring runs has been a problem for Seattle all season. The Mariners have been held to two runs or fewer 70 times and they are 22-77 when held to three runs or fewer.

Seattle failed to hold a 5-1 lead in the seventh on Wednesday and dropped a 6-5 decision. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak and put Seattle at 61-97 for the season. The M’s won 61 games in 2008 and 63 games four seasons earlier. Preventing a three-game sweep will also keep the Mariners from a second 100-loss season in three years and fifth all-time.

Oakland has pitched well, leading the AL in ERA (3.63), shutouts (16) and opponents slugging (.382). Wednesday’s starter Gio Gonzalez (14-9, 3.35 ERA) is one of their best.

Gonzalez is 5-2 with a 2.56 ERA in his last 10 outings to join Barry Zito, Mark Mulder and Kenny Rogers as the only Oakland southpaws to win 14 games since Vida Blue in 1977.

The 25-year-old has beaten Seattle twice in three starts, with both wins coming in Oakland. Much more effective at home, Gonzalez has split 12 decisions on the road with a 4.22 ERA. He surrendered two runs on six hits and walked four in 4 2/3 innings on April 14 at Safeco, a 4-2 Seattle win.

Seattle starter Doug Fister (6-13, 3.91 ERA) has had success against Oakland, going 3-1 with a 1.96 ERA in four starts this season and allowing just one run in 14 innings in two games here.

However, it has been a tale of two halves for the 6-8 right-hander. He allowed five runs in his first five starts and had a 2.45 ERA after 10 games. Fister came down with a fatigued right shoulder, missed all but one start in June and hasn’t been the same since.

The 26-year-old has won just three times against 10 losses with a 4.97 ERA in his last 17 appearances, surrendering 117 hits in 96 innings.

Fister yielded four runs in the first inning against Tampa Bay last Saturday before tossing five innings of one-hit, scoreless relief in the 9-2 loss.

Oakland leads the season series 9-6, but Seattle has won four of six at Safeco.