Seattle @ Oakland preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 20, 2013 ) Seattle 7, Oakland 4

The Oakland Athletics experienced a rare bullpen collapse to help hand Seattle a victory and look to bounce back in Wednesday’s series finale against the visiting Mariners. Oakland’s typically reliable bullpen allowed Seattle to score five eighth-inning runs Tuesday to spoil Sonny Gray’s solid pitching performance and the 7-4 loss dropped the Athletics 1 1/2 games behind first-place Texas in the American League West. Oakland leads the battle for the AL’s second wild card by four games over Baltimore.

Seattle rookie second baseman Nick Franklin homered and had three RBIs on Tuesday but suffered a lacerated left knee while scoring in the eighth and departed to get stitches. Athletics catcher Derek Norris also left the contest with a knee injury after he partially blocked the plate as Franklin slid home. The Mariners scored more than four runs for only the second time in their last 10 games and got their bats moving after the departure of Gray, who allowed two runs and two hits in seven innings.

TV: 3:35 p.m. ET, MLBN, ROOT (Seattle)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Hisashi Iwakuma (11-6, 2.95 ERA) vs. Athletics RH A.J. Griffin (10-8, 3.76)

Iwakuma snapped a three-start winless skid by limiting Texas to one run and four hits over seven innings in his last turn. He is 2-2 with a 3.96 ERA in four starts against Oakland this season, fanning 25 and walking three in 25 innings. Iwakuma is 6-3 with a 3.03 ERA in 12 road outings.

Griffin is in the midst of a three-start winless skid and took a no-decision in his last outing when he gave up four hits and one unearned run in five innings against Cleveland. He has gone two starts without giving up a homer after being torched for 10 in a four-start stretch. Griffin is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in two starts against the Mariners this season and 3-1 with a 3.13 ERA in four career outings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Athletics 3B Alberto Callaspo has recorded three hits in two of the past three games.

2. Mariners OF Michael Morse is 5-for-6 with a homer against Griffin.

3. Oakland OF Yoenis Cespedes is 6-for-15 with three homers against Iwakuma.

PREDICTION: Athletics 6, Mariners 4