Oakland @ Seattle preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 26, 2019 ) Oakland 3, Seattle 1

Matt Chapman has used his power to guide the Oakland Athletics to back-to-back victories after they dropped their previous two contests. Oakland looks to make it three wins in a row and maintain its hold on the top wild-card spot in the American League when it visits the Seattle Mariners on Friday.

Chapman helped the Athletics to a 3-2 road victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday with a one-out, two-run homer in the ninth inning before belting a two-run shot in the second frame of Thursday's 3-1 triumph in Seattle. Prior to his current surge, the 26-year-old third baseman went seven games without a homer and recorded only two RBIs in that span for the Athletics, who own a one-game lead over Tampa Bay for the first wild card and are three ahead of Cleveland with three contests remaining. Chapman needs one RBI to reach 200 for his career while Matt Olson has notched a hit in five of his last six contests. Kyle Seager registered two of his team's four hits on Thursday and Austin Nola drove in the lone run for the Mariners, who have scored a total of two runs during their four-game losing streak.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics RH Mike Fiers (15-4, 3.91 ERA) vs. Mariners LH Justus Sheffield (0-1, 6.10)

Fiers will be hard-pressed to make his final regular-season start a better one than his turn last Friday, when he allowed only two hits over eight scoreless innings in a victory over Texas. The 34-year-old Floridian has lost just once in his last 24 outings, recording 13 wins - including his second career no-hitter - in that span. Fiers is 3-2 with a 6.15 ERA in 11 career starts against Seattle, going 1-0 while allowing four runs over 11 frames in two turns in May after yielding five runs over three innings of a loss in his season debut on March 20 in Japan.

Sheffield remains in search of his first major-league victory as he makes his seventh start of the season. The 23-year-old Tennessean has surrendered 10 runs over 8 2/3 innings in his last two turns but escaped with no-decisions after giving up one run over 11 frames in his previous two outings - also no-decisions. Sheffield, who has served up only four home runs in 31 innings this year, will be facing Oakland for the first time.

WALK-OFFS

1. Athletics 1B-OF Mark Canha missed the series opener due to a groin injury that forced him to exit Wednesday's win over the Angels in the seventh inning.

2. Seattle has been outscored 29-9 during its four-game slide against Oakland.

3. Oakland activated OF Stephen Piscotty (ankle) from the 10-day injured list and recalled fellow OF Skye Bolt from Triple-A Las Vegas.

PREDICTION: Athletics 8, Mariners 3