Beat goes on

SEATTLE – If the Seattle Mariners needed an in-your-face lesson on what it takes to win the American League West, they’ve gotten it this weekend.

Pitching almost always makes a difference in a division race – even one as wobbly as the AL West – and Saturday the Oakland A’s rolled out another reason why they’re in first place and winners of an incredible 11 straight over the Mariners.

Dan Haren held the Mariners to four hits in seven innings in a 5-2 A’s victory at Safeco Field.

More impressively, Haren locked down the Mariners’ offense after Adrian Beltre’s two-run homer in the third inning sliced Oakland’s 4-0 lead.

Haren allowed just two baserunners after Beltre’s homer – Richie Sexson on third baseman Eric Chavez’s error in the third inning and Yuniesky Betancourt on a leadoff walk in the fourth.

After that, Haren retired 11 straight and struck out the side in the sixth. Kiko Calero and Huston Street each pitched a perfect inning as the A’s retired the final 18 Mariners.

“Is that all? Eighteen straight?” asked Mariners manager Mike Hargrove. “We tried to be patient. We got into some decent hitters’ counts but Haren made pitches when he had to. And so did Calero and Street. That’s the biggest difference.”

The victory opened Oakland’s lead atop the division to 51/2 games over the last-place Mariners. It also secured the Mariners’ first losing series after they’d won four straight.

As well as the A’s pitched, the Mariners didn’t help themselves with moments of spotty play by their younger players. Jose Lopez didn’t cover second base to take a throw from the outfield after Milton Bradley’s two-out double in the first inning and Betancourt made a throw over first baseman Richie Sexson’s head in the third on a play that was ruled a hit.

“It doesn’t matter if we’re playing the Oakland A’s or the Beaverton A’s,” Hargrove said. “When you don’t play as well as you know you can, it’s discouraging.”

Joel Pineiro knows the feeling.

The Mariners’ right-hander gave up eight hits and four runs in 22/3 innings, matching his shortest start this season and knocking his record to 7-9.

“Typical Pineiro start, I guess,” he said. “Go out there, get hit, walk a lot of people. My last two starts were good. Today I tried to get the team out of the slump against Oakland and it didn’t work.”

The problem was Pineiro’s fastball, which he struggled to control as he fell behind in the ball-strike count.

“My last two starts I didn’t have a good curveball,” he said. “Today I had a good curveball but nothing else was working. That’s the way things are going for me.”

Asked to describe his frustration level, Pineiro was on the same level as the fans who booed him.

“You look at the numbers and you say this guy sucks,” Pineiro said. “I’m not going to lie. That’s the way I look at it myself. I’m very disappointed in myself, in the way I’ve been pitching.”

Jake Woods, the left-hander who has been a tourniquet in games that got away this season, did it again Saturday with 31/3 innings of impressive relief, allowing three hits and a run.

Asked if Woods had done anything to merit an opportunity in the starting rotation – hint: in place of Pineiro – Hargrove didn’t answer.

“That’s something we discuss internally,” Hargrove said.

Woods gave the Mariners’ offense a chance to get back in the game, and they did with one swing in the third when Beltre hit a two-run homer after Lopez had doubled.

Haren proceeded to push the Mariners back out of the game the next four innings before Calero and Street finished.

“He was throwing his split for strikes and he was throwing it down,” said DH Ben Broussard, who struck out twice against Haren. “We’ve got to do a better job and figure out a way to get some runs across.”

The Mariners’ last chance in this series, which began as an opportunity to make a statement against the A’s, is today. They’ll have their best pitcher, Gil Meche, on the mound, but also face a season-long nemesis.

Joe Blanton is 3-0 against the M’s, twice pitching eight shutout innings.