OAKLAND - The A's are having trouble busting out offensively lately, and Hisashi Iwakuma isn't the best matchup for them to alter that.
The Mariners right-hander improved to 4-0 against Oakland this season as Seattle won 3-2 in the opener of a three-game series Friday at the Coliseum. With the defeat, the A's (60-80) were officially eliminated from the American League West race.
Iwakuma (15-11) went 6 2/3 innings and held the A's to two runs, ending a streak that had seen him go winless over his previous five starts. His last victory before Friday came back on on Aug. 13, also against the A's.
[STIGLICH: Notes: Rodriguez has surgery to repair torn lat muscle]
Oakland had won three of its previous four, but the A's are averaging just 2.77 runs over the past 13 games. Those season-long problems scoring runs are well-documented, as the A's rank last in the American League in that category.
The A's got three hits from rookie catcher Bruce Maxwell, including an RBI double in the seventh that pulled them to within 3-2. But they went down in order against Mariners closer Edwin Diaz, whose 14 saves since Aug. 1 lead the majors.
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Starting pitching report
It appeared the bullpen might be in for a really long night as Daniel Mengden (1-7) ran his pitch count up early in the game. The Mariners made him labor through a two-out rally in the first that included Nelson Cruz's RBI double off the center field wall. Mengden needed 35 pitches to get through that inning. Nori Aoki led off the third with a homer to right to make it 2-0. But Mengden settled in and made it through five innings with no more damage. He finished his night by retiring seven in a row, four of those via strikeout. He racked up 100 pitches by the time he exited, but credit to him for minimizing the damage and not putting too much stress on the relief corps.
Bullpen report
Sean Doolittle turned in a very encouraging outing, retiring Seattle's 3-4-5 combo of Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager in order in the eighth. It was the way he did it that stood out. Cruz went down swinging on 95 mile-per-hour heat up in the zone. Then he snapped off a slider to get the left-handed hitting Seager looking. That velocity, combined with the effective off-speed stuff, had the lefty pumped as he walked off the mound.
At the plate
Maxwell had an encouraging night, and another rookie, second baseman Joey Wendle, contributed with two hits and an RBI single in the the fifth that pulled the A's to within 2-1 at the time. Wendle was drawing his first big league start in the leadoff spot.
In the field
The A's had a shaky second inning in the field, though it didn't cost them on the scoreboard. Khris Davis misplayed Adam Lind's base hit to left into a double, as the ball skipped past him. Mengden would strand Lind at second base however.
Attendance
The announced turnout was 19,385.
Up next
It's an intriguing pitching battle for Saturday's 1:05 p.m. game, as Kendall Graveman (10-9, 3.81) matches up against Felix Hernandez (10-5, 3.75). The longtime A's nemesis struck out 10 in an April contest, but he lasted just four innings against Oakland in a May game at the Coliseum.
