Oakland @ Seattle preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 27, 2019 ) Oakland 3, Seattle 4

The Oakland Athletics had their ticket to the postseason punched before taking the field on Friday, but they still have something for which to play during the final weekend of the regular season. Oakland looks to bounce back from a crucial loss when it visits the Seattle Mariners on Saturday for the penultimate game of the capaign.

The Athletics clinched an American League wild card with Cleveland's loss in Washington and were one out away from maintaining the top spot before coming undone as they dropped a 4-3 decision to the Mariners. Oakland, which has scored three runs or fewer in each of its last five contests, is tied with Tampa Bay for the right to host a showdown in the wild-card game on Wednesday. Marcus Semien led off Friday's contest with a homer and Matt Olson belted a two-run shot in the seventh inning before Liam Hendriks yielded back-to-back two-out RBI hits in the ninth. Shed Long delivered a game-tying RBI single and scored the winning run on J.P. Crawford's double for Seattle, which snapped its four-game slide and improved to 1-3 on its season-ending six-game homestand.

TV: 9:10 p.m. ET, NBCS California (Oakland), ROOT Northwest (Seattle)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics LH Brett Anderson (12-9, 4.00 ERA) vs. Mariners LH Marco Gonzales (16-12, 4.09)

Anderson looks to finish the regular season with a six-start unbeaten streak as he settled for a no-decision against Kansas City on Sept. 17 after allowing one run and five hits over five innings. The 31-year-old Texan has notched two victories while giving up three earned runs or fewer in each outing during his streak, which began after he lost back-to-back starts in mid-August. Anderson is 10-5 with a 2.36 ERA in 21 starts and one relief appearance versus Seattle in his career - including a 2-1 record and 3.38 mark in three turns this year.

Like Anderson, Gonzales has recorded a career high in victories this year but was denied a third win in as many starts on Sunday as he settled for a no-decision at Baltimore after permitting just two runs and three hits in seven innings. The 27-year-old native of Colorado has worked seven frames in each of his last three turns, allowing four runs and issuing as many walks in that span. Gonzales has won three of his four outings against Oakland this season to improve to 4-2 with a 3.88 ERA in seven starts and one relief appearance versus the club in his career.

WALK-OFFS

1. Semien has hit safely in seven of his last eight contests while Olson has gone 5-for-12 with three RBIs over his last three games.

2. Seattle INF Austin Nola is 4-for-7 with two RBIs over his last three contests.

3. Oakland DH Khris Davis (illness) and OF Mark Canha (groin) returned to the lineup Friday, with the former going 0-for-3 with a walk after missing two games and the latter 0-for-4 following a one-game absence.

PREDICTION: Mariners 7, Athletics 3