Seattle Mariners’ Jarred Kelenic, left, celebrates next to first base coach Kristopher Negrón after hitting an RBI single against the Oakland Athletics during the second inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Tue Sep 19, 2023 (AP News photo)

Seattle (83-68). 010 100 401. – 7. 11. 0

Oakland (46-105). 000 000 200 – 2. 6. 1

Time: 2:52

Attendance: 6,294

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–After tonight’s 7-2 drubbing by the Mariners, the A’s probably don’t have even the bittersweet consolation of the also rans of baseball, the schadenfreude that comes from being a spoiler.. Neither the Detroit Tigers nor the Angels, two of Oakland’s rivals in their three remaining series this year, has a mathematical chance of reaching the playoffs.

The third team they’ll face is the Twins, central division leaders, who already have clinched a playoff berth. Oakland might contribute to the bursting of their gonfalon bubble, but I wouldn’t bet on it, although you can be sure that someone in Las Vegas would be glad to take your money.

Paul Blackburn, the A’s starter, now in his seventh year with the club, didn’t begin his big league season until May 29, thanks to a right middle fingernail avulsion that kept him on the IL. He was an unimpressive 4-5 4.14 at game time after two straight starts in which he couldn’t pitch more than three innings.

Blackburn lasted longer tonight, five innings, in which he faced 20 batters and delivered 93 pitches, 60 for strikes. The Mariners scored two runs, both earned, off Blackburn on four hits and a walk. He struck out four. .He was the losing pitcher and now has a record of 4-6, 4.14.

The Mariners feel that Blackburn’s mound rival, Luis Castillo, is a valid Cy Young candidate.. His game time record of 13-7,308 backed by his nine (out of 30) starts of seven or more innings indicate that, even if he doesn’t earn the award, he’s certainly worthy of consideration.

Castillo went seven frames again tonight, keeping Oakland off the board for the first six of them. The two runs he allowed were earned. He threw 99 pitches in all, 68 for strikes, while improving his record to 14-7 3.06.

The Mariners went ahead in the top of the second on a one out double by Eugenio Súarez, followed by Jarred Kelenic’s RBI single. The Athletics might have drawn even in the bottom of the third, but they wasted singles by Esteury Ruiz and Tony Kemp when both of them got thrown out trying to steal second.

Kelenic batted in his second run of the night in the fourth on a single to left that scored Teoscar Hernández, who had been successful in his steal attempt after having drawn a walk. That put Seattle up, 2-0

Lucas Erceg relieved Blackburn in the sixth and shut out the M’s in that episode. Then he struck out Ty France in the seventh before yielding to Easton Lucas, who yielded four runs on an infield single by pinch hitter Sam Haggerty, a double by JP Crawford, an intentional walk to Julio Rodríguez, a Cal Raleigh single, and a wild pitch. At this point, Seattle now led, 6-0.

Oakland made a comeback of sorts in the home seventh. Aledmys Díaz led off with an uncursed double to left and scored on Shea Langeliers triple to center. Tyler Soderstrom’s sacrifice fly to center brought in Langeliers with the Athletics’ second tally.

Not unexpectedly, Lucas didn’t come out to pitch the eighth. Easton Sweet did and yielded nothing more damaging than a walk.

Matt Brash relieved Castillo for the home eighth. With Sweet still on the mound, Crawford’s 16th homer of the year led off the top of the ninth. Seattle didn’t score again, but the A’s had to call on. Francisco Pérez to get the final out.

Eduardo Bazardo made quick work of Oakland in a 1,2,3 bottom of the ninth.

The four game series concludes Wednesday, afternoon at 12:37pm PT, with Joey Estes making his major league debut for Oakland against Seattle’s George Kirby (10-10, 3.37)