Seattle @ Oakland preview

Seattle at Oakland

Last Meeting ( Sep 28, 2012 ) Seattle 2, Oakland 8

Coco Crisp didn't miss a beat after missing nine starts with an eye infection. Crisp belted his fourth leadoff homer of the season and eighth career and the Oakland Athletics rode that fast start to an 8-2 triumph over the Seattle Mariners on Friday. Oakland will look to continue its momentum on Saturday when the American League West rivals reconvene to play the middle contest of their three-game set.

The Athletics kept their slim division hopes alive by moving to within three of Texas with five to play. Oakland also remained two games ahead of Los Angeles and three in front of Tampa Bay in the race for the second wild card. Seattle, which has dropped four of its last five, will likely see the return of Franklin Gutierrez. The center fielder crashed into the wall while making a catch on Thursday.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, CSCA

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners LH Jason Vargas (14-11, 3.94 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Daniel Straily (2-1, 3.60 ERA)

Vargas fell to 1-3 in his last seven starts despite yielding only three runs in six innings in a 3-2 setback to Texas on Sunday. The 29-year-old also dropped a decision to Oakland during that stretch, although he again permitted just three runs on Sept. 9. Vargas is 5-5 versus the Athletics, but has limited them to just a .207 batting average.

Straily will make his seventh start of the season on Saturday. The 23-year-old matched a season high with eight strikeouts, but settled for a no-decision in his last outing versus Texas. Straily has struggled with the long ball, permitting five homers in his last three starts.

WALK-OFFS

1. Oakland SS Stephen Drew extended his hitting streak to eight games with a two-run homer in the third inning. Drew is just 1-for-6 in his career versus Vargas, however.

2. Seattle has hit at least one homer in 17 consecutive games, marking the second-longest streak in franchise history. The club record is 19, set in 1999.

3. Oakland LHP Brett Anderson, who is nursing a right oblique injury, is hoping to return should the team qualify for the postseason.