SEATTLE – While Jeff Harris pitched like he’s already auditioning for a place on the roster next year – which he is – the Seattle Mariners walked off the field Saturday with an all-too-familiar feeling.
They lost for the 92nd time this season, 4-3 to the Oakland A’s when the Mariners’ defense, bullpen and paltry offense snatched the luster from a quality start by Harris.
The 31-year-old right-hander, who spent 11 years in the minor leagues before the Mariners called him up from Class AAA Tacoma in August, held the A’s to two hits and a run in 51/3 innings.
The A’s came back against the bullpen, scoring twice off Julio Mateo in the seventh and once in the ninth off Matt Thornton and Gil Meche.
Otherwise, Harris finished his season on a positive note after his eighth start.
“This was by far his best outing of the last four,” manager Mike Hargrove said. “He kept the ball down and kept it out of the middle of the plate.”
That tends to be the secret to any pitcher’s success, but especially for Harris. If he has a chance to make the team again next year, it’ll be in long relief, provided he solves control issues that plagued him when he struggled this season.
“Hopefully I made a good impression,” Harris said. “It was always my dream to get here and I finally got here. Whatever happens after this, it’s icing on the cake. It’s been a long road to get here and I’d love to stay.
“Hopefully I’ll get invited to spring training and hopefully I’ll make the team. If they give me the ball, I’ll take it and it doesn’t matter what role it’s in.”
Saturday, he handled starting well, despite his second straight no-decision.
The only backing he got were Yuniesky Betancourt’s two-run home run in the third inning and his sacrifice fly in the ninth, plus another push by Ichiro Suzuki to finish the season with a .300 batting average.
Suzuki, who reached the 200-hit mark for the fifth straight season on Friday, went 3-for-4 and raised his average to .304. He hasn’t finished with less than 208 hits since he came to the major leagues in 2001, and he enters today’s season finale sitting on 205.
All that hurt Harris was a one-out walk to Jason Kendall and an RBI double by Mark Kotsay, when the A’s took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Harris didn’t give up another hit until Marco Scutaro singled to center with two outs in the fifth.
By then, the Mariners had a 2-1 lead, courtesy Betancourt’s two-run homer, the first of his career, off A’s starter Joe Blanton.
Without getting a hit, the A’s knocked Harris from the game in the sixth – aided by two Mariners errors – then took the lead again in the seventh.
Betancourt booted a grounder hit by Kendall for a one-out error in the sixth and, when Harris got Kotsay to ground a potential double-play ball to second base, Jose Lopez made a bad flip to Betancourt for another error.
Hargrove brought in left-hander George Sherrill, who got Eric Chavez on a fly to left but dealt with even more peril after catcher Rene Rivera committed a passed ball that put runners on second and third. Sherrill, however, got out of it by striking out Dan Johnson.
Sherrill got the first two outs in the seventh before Hargrove brought in right-hander Julio Mateo. Scutaro doubled before Mark Ellis and Kendall hit RBI singles, putting the A’s ahead 3-2.
By then, the Mariners’ chances at coming back were limited by the high octane of A’s pitcher Rich Harden, a onetime starter who only recently returned from a strained lat muscle in August.
Harden walked Lopez and gave up a single to Jaime Bubela to start the bottom of the seventh before he struck out the next three, including Ichiro Suzuki on a 98 mph fastball and Betancourt on a sharp slider.
Richie Sexson hit a one-out double in the eighth before Harden struck out Adrian Beltre – his fifth strikeout in two innings – and got Greg Dobbs to pop out.
The A’s padded their lead when Nick Swisher hit a one-out double off left-handed reliever Matt Thornton and scored when Scutaro lined a single up the middle off right-hander Gil Meche, making it 4-2.
The Mariners threatened again in the ninth, loading the bases against reliever Huston Street.
Betancourt hit a sacrifice fly – his third RBI of the game – for a 4-3 score and a wild pitch put runners on second and third with two outs. Street then struck out Raul Ibanez to end the game.
It left the Mariners still reaching for their 70th victory of the season. Their last chance is today, when 19-year-old right-hander Felix Hernandez starts the final game.
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