Seattle @ Oakland preview
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Last Meeting ( Aug 12, 2016 ) Seattle 3, Oakland 6
The Seattle Mariners had their season-high six-game winning streak halted in the series opener and aim to get right back on the winning track when they visit the Oakland Athletics on Saturday. The Mariners recorded just four hits in Friday's 6-3 defeat to an Oakland squad that suddenly has won four of its last five games.
Seattle stands two games behind Boston in the jam-packed battle for the American League's second wild-card spot. The red-hot Hisashi Iwakuma is looking for his third straight victory after giving up 10 hits over 14 1/3 scoreless innings in his last two outings. Oakland's Khris Davis slugged a two-run homer on Friday to set a new career high of 28. Marcus Semien matched a career best with four hits and is 8-for-17 with four runs scored over his last four games.
TV: 9:05 p.m. ET, ROOT (Seattle), CSN California (Oakland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Hisashi Iwakuma (13-7, 3.79 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Kendall Graveman (8-7, 4.29)
Iwakuma is 7-1 over his last eight starts and has allowed two or fewer runs in six of the outings. He has struck out 15 and issued just one walk in his last two turns and is two victories shy of matching his career-best total set in 2014. Iwakuma is 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA in two starts versus Oakland this year and 7-5 with a 3.83 ERA in 13 career appearances (12 starts) against the Athletics.
Graveman has won seven of his last eight decisions after getting off to a 1-6 start. He shut down Baltimore in his last turn by giving up one run and six hits in seven innings. Graveman is 1-1 with a 3.05 ERA in five career appearances (three starts) against the Mariners and 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA in two starts this season while allowing 17 hits in 10 2/3 frames.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Mariners had won seven straight games in Oakland prior to the loss in the series opener.
2. Oakland 1B Yonder Alonso recorded two hits and two RBIs on Friday and is 5-for-11 with five RBIs over his last three contests.
3. Seattle CF Leonys Martin, who is 2-for-13 with seven strikeouts over his last three games, is hitless in 10 career at-bats against Graveman.
PREDICTION: Mariners 3, Athletics 2