Seattle @ Oakland preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 13, 2018 ) Seattle 6, Oakland 7

The Oakland Athletics came out on the right end of another one-run decision in the series opener and hope to extend their winning streak to four games when they host the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday for the middle contest of their three-game series. Four of Oakland's last five games have been decided by a single run, with the club winning three of them - including a 7-6 decision on Monday.

Jed Lowrie continued swinging a hot bat in the series opener, going 3-for-5 with four RBIs as the Athletics moved 2 1/2 games ahead of Seattle for the second wild card in the American League and climbed within two of first-place Houston in the AL West. Lowrie is riding a five-game hitting streak and has gone 5-for-9 with a homer and six RBIs in his last two contests. After sweeping a four-game set in Houston, Seattle - which will welcome back Robinson Cano from his 80-game suspension on Tuesday - dropped to 5-3 on its 10-game road trip as its late-inning rally came up just short. Jean Segura went 4-for-5 with an RBI as the Mariners scored five runs over the final two frames - three in the ninth - before falling 4 1/2 games behind the division-leading Astros.

TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, ROOT Northwest (Seattle), NBCS California (Oakland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners LH James Paxton (10-5, 3.63 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Mike Fiers (7-6, 3.40)

Paxton recorded the win at Houston on Thursday despite yielding four runs on seven hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings. The 29-year-old Canadian has surrendered seven runs over 12 2/3 frames in two turns this month after allowing the same amount over 22 2/3 innings in four outings in July. Paxton is 3-0 with a 3.32 ERA in seven career starts against Oakland, including a no-decision on May 2 in which he registered a career-high 16 strikeouts while scattering five hits over seven scoreless frames.

Fiers settled for a no-decision against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday in his team debut despite allowing just one run and four hits with eight strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. The 33-year-old Floridian has been superb of late, giving up fewer than two runs in six of his last eight turns and three in each of the other two outings. Fiers fell to 1-1 with a 6.21 ERA in six career starts versus the Mariners on May 19, when he surrendered four runs and six hits in five frames at Seattle while pitching for Detroit.

WALK-OFFS

1. Athletics 3B Matt Chapman enters Tuesday with an 11-game hitting streak and has recorded at least one RBI in four straight contests.

2. Seattle 2B Dee Gordon (shoulder) was kept out of the starting lineup for the second straight game Monday.

3. Mariners OF Mitch Haniger, who went 3-for-5 in the series opener, has posted back-to-back three-hit performances and six multi-hit efforts in his last eight contests.

PREDICTION: Mariners 5, Athletics 3