Photo credit: @NBCSAthletics

By: Lewis Rubman

Seattle: 9 | 10 | 1 (8 LOB)
Oakland: 2 | 7 | 1 (9 LOB)

OAKLAND — The A’s came home tonight to the newly rebaptized Ring Central Coliseum 1 1/2 games behind Texas for second place in the AL West and a whopping 11 games behind the blazing Houston Astros for the division lead. They face a daunting task in what what’s left of the season if they intend to make the playoffs, but the 11 days since their last home game has given the team some reason to hope. They played 10 games in the exotic territories of Disneyland, Six Flags Over Texas, and the Dalí Museum, and managed to come out ahead six times. The green and gold even managed to split the four-game, three-day series in the Arlington heat against the Rangers. The back end of the bullpen still looks shaky, but on Tuesday night in Stockton AJ Puk and Jesús Luzardo matched each other’s speed and the Weather Bureau’s temperature readings, all well into the high ’90s at the start of the game. Both lefties, rehabbing for the A’s advanced single-A affiliate, showed a wide range of pitches and impressive command, steadily working the corners of the plate. Admittedly, Puk surrendered a home run to the third batter he faced, the highly regarded Heliot Ramos, playing center field for the Giants’ San José farm team, but both hurlers showed they’re almost ready to join the A’s mound corps. They could take some pressure off the relief staff, by joining either the bullpen or the rotation. In the latter role, they probably could go at least one inning deeper into games than some of the more struggling starters, who frequently leave the game before completing six innings.

Right handed Chris Bassitt (3-2, 3.57 ERA), who throws an above average sinker, opened the contest against the Western Division cellar dwelling Seattle Mariners, who sent 6-6, 4.77 ERA Marcos González, a lefty who, like Bassitt, is partial to sinker balls, to the mound.

The A´s threatened early, loading the bases in the bottom of the first on singles to left by Marcus Semien, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games, and Matt Chapman, followed by a walk to Khris Davis. But Mark Canha had flied to right between the two singles, and Chad Pingrounded into an inning ending in a 6-4-3 double play.

They broke through an inning later on a two out double to left by Jurickson Profar, hitting right handed, his strong side, and a throwing error by M’s second baseman, Dee Gordon, that enabled the hustling Profar to score from second.

Seattle struck back in the top of the third when Dee Gordon lined a double that landed just short of a diving Laureano in left center and advanced to third on a mirror image single that fell in front of the again diving Laureano this time in right center. After Bassitt got Mallex Smith to whiff on a 1-2 curve ball for the first out of the inning, Kyle Seager drove Gordon home with a slicing sacrifice fly to PInder in left. Bassitt escaped further trouble by getting Domingo Santana to end the inning by flying out to the busy Laureano.

Oakland unknoted the tie on a one out triple off the left field wall by Chapman, followed by a strike out of Davis and a walk to Pinder, which brought Matt Olson to the plate with runners on first and third with two outs. He delivered a solid single to right, to plate Chapman with the leading run.

But the M’s soon reversed that. Daniel Vogelbach walked and advanced to second on Omar Narváez’s single to right center. It looked as though Bassitt might wiggle out of the tight spot when Tim Beckham hit a tailor made double play ball to Profar, but the second sacker’s toss to Semien clunked off the shortstop’s glove, Second base umpire Dana DeMuth ruled that Semien had dropped the ball on the transfer, but a video review clearly showed that both he and Semien had erred. With the basess now loaded JP Crawford doubled in Vogelbach and Narvaéz with a liner that Chapman deflected into right field. Gordon’s sac fly to right brought in Beckham with Seattle’s third run of the frame. They now led, 4-2 Melvin finally removed Bassitt with two on and two outs in the top of the sixth. Bomel´s choice to relieve the pitcher was left handed Wei-Chung Wang, who heretofore had yielded three hits and no runs in six appearances. He closed out the inning with a foul popup to Chapman.

Wang’s brief streak of near invincibility ended in the seventh, when Omar Narváez homered into the right field seats wiith Domingo Santana on base to stretch the M’s advantage to 6-2.

The M’s rubbed salt in the A’s multiple wounds in the top of the eighth when Aaron Brooks, charged with mopping up what was left of the game, gave up a single to ex-Giant Mac Williamson and a homer to right center off the bat of Mallex Smith.That made it 8-2. Brooks hit two and extended the Seattle centerfielder’s hitting streak to thirteen games. In the ninth, Brooks hit two batters, one of whom, Narváez, scored on JP Crawford’s double to center.

That’s all she wrote.

Seattle used three pitchers. The winner was González, who, in seven innings, brought his ERA down to 4.50, while notching his seventh victory over six defeats. Adams pitched a pretty clean eight inning, allowing one walk and achieiving one strike out. Matt Festa closed the A’s down with similar numbers.

Oakland also used three pitchers. Bassitt surrrended four runs (three earned) on five hits, walking and striking out four in five and 2/3 innings. His loss brought him to 3-3, 3.57 ERA. Wang gave up two earned runs in one and a third inning,and Brooks three in two frames.

Saturday’s 6:07 PM game will feature Frankie Montás (8-2, 2.84 ERA) for Oakland. Wade LeBlanc (3-2, 5.31 ERA) will toe the rubber for Seattle.

We eagerly await the arrival of Puk and Luzardo.