| SEASON | CAREER |
| W3 | 3 |
| L3 | 3 |
| G11 | 12 |
| IP66.2 | 72.0 |
| BB32 | 33 |
| SO49 | 50 |
| SEASON | CAREER |
| W3 | 166 |
| L6 | 146 |
| G14 | 437 |
| IP80.2 | 2640.0 |
| BB33 | 820 |
| SO59 | 2035 |
The Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics have lived up to their reputations as low-scoring teams through the first two games of this series.
That may mean good news for Wednesday's starting pitchers.
Kevin Millwood will try to pitch the Mariners to their seventh victory in 10 meetings with the Athletics, who counter with impressive rookie Jarrod Parker in the finale.
Seattle entered Tuesday's contest on a 23-inning scoreless streak after falling 1-0 to Oakland on Monday, but Brendan Ryan 's RBI single in the eighth inning helped the Mariners earn a 3-2 victory.
Ryan is hitting only .182 this season, but he's batting .323 over his last 10 games.
"Not many guys handle it very well, whether it's your second year in or your 14th year in," Ryan said. "It's not fun. It's not easy to deal with failure. Especially when you're playing every day and it's Groundhog Day every day. It's not for lack of putting the work in or hunger or effort."Seattle (32-44) has been outscored 82-58 while going 5-11 since its combined no-hitter against the Dodgers on June 8. Ichiro Suzuki has been one of the few Mariners hitting well lately along with Ryan, batting .483 during a seven-game hitting streak after going 2 for 3 on Tuesday.
The Mariners and A's have combined for an average of 6.2 total runs in their nine meetings this season, of which Seattle has won six. The Mariners' .238 average ranks 26th in the majors, while Oakland is hitting a baseball-worst .224.
Seattle's pitching staff has a 1.54 ERA over the last four games, and Millwood (3-6, 4.02 ERA) will look to bounce back from a couple of rough outings since leaving the team's no-hitter before the seventh inning with a strained groin.
He allowed eight runs and eight hits in five innings of a 9-5 loss to San Diego on Friday, dropping to 0-2 with a 4.68 ERA in five starts since winning three straight outings with a 0.41 ERA in May.
"The balls were up, breaking balls weren't good," Millwood said. "I just didn't pitch good, bottom line."The veteran right-hander is 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA in his last seven starts versus the A's, though he hasn't faced them since 2010.
Despite Tuesday's loss, Oakland (36-39) has won 10 of 14 while outscoring opponents 73-44. Yoenis Cespedes homered, but he's 3 for 18 (.167) over his last five games.
Brandon Inge went 0 for 4 and is hitting .172 in his last nine.
"We don't expect him to hit .350," manager Bob Melvin said. "He's going to have struggles at the plate like anyone else."The pitching staff has been solid, though, combining for a 3.02 ERA over the last 14 contests, and Parker has plenty to do with that.
Aside from giving up six runs each May 18 at San Francisco and June 9 at Arizona, Parker (3-3, 2.70) hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of his other nine starts. He gave up one run and four hits in six innings of Oakland's 5-4 loss to the Giants on Friday, as the bullpen surrendered four runs in the ninth to deny him the victory.
The right-hander is 2-1 with a 1.35 ERA against the AL.
AVG
HRRUNSSBSOBBOBPSLGOPS
VS.
| HITTERS | AB | AVG | H | HR | RBI | BB | SO | OBP | OPS | SLG |
| Daric Barton | 15 | .267 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .267 | .600 | .333 |
| Collin Cowgill | 3 | .333 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .666 | .333 |
| Coco Crisp | 17 | .176 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 | .222 | .693 | .471 |
| Jonny Gomes | 2 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .333 | .333 | .000 |
| Brandon Inge | 37 | .189 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 9 | .268 | .565 | .297 |
| Cliff Pennington | 8 | .500 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | .600 | 1.350 | .750 |
| Josh Reddick | 5 | .200 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .200 | 1.000 | .800 |
| Adam Rosales | 3 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Kurt Suzuki | 21 | .095 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .095 | .190 | .095 |
 Oakland Athletics |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| June 23, 2012 | Collin Cowgill | 15-Day DL | Sprained left ankle |
| June 20, 2012 | Brandon McCarthy | 15-Day DL | Strained right shoulder |
| June 18, 2012 | Bartolo Colon | 15-Day DL | Strained right oblique |
| June 17, 2012 | Bartolo Colon | Day-to-Day | Strained right oblique |
| June 13, 2012 | Yoenis Cespedes | Day-to-Day | Left game - strained left hamstring |
| June 06, 2012 | Andrew Carignan | 60-Day DL | Right elbow surgery - out for season |
 Seattle Mariners |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| June 13, 2012 | Stephen Pryor | 15-Day DL | Strained left groin |
| June 12, 2012 | Mike Carp | Day-to-Day | Right shoulder injury |
| June 11, 2012 | Mike Carp | 15-Day DL | Right shoulder inflammation |
| June 05, 2012 | Felix Hernandez | Day-to-Day | Lower back soreness |
| May 07, 2012 | Blake Beavan | Day-to-Day | Left game - right elbow contusion |
| May 01, 2012 | Miguel Olivo | 15-Day DL | Strained right groin |
SEATTLE (AP) -- Oakland manager Bob Melvin had a concise assessment of starter Jarrod Parker .
"He's good," Melvin said.
Parker earned that praise with seven dominant innings and a career-high nine strikeouts Wednesday in the Athletics' 2-1 win over the Seattle Mariners .
The A's mustered just two hits against four Seattle pitchers, but both left the park.
Coco Crisp hit his second homer of the season on the second pitch of the game. Yoenis Cespedes hit his ninth in the seventh inning of Hisashi Iwakuma (1-1), whom he faced in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, to break a 1-1 tie.
Parker (4-3) allowed three hits and walked four. He's given up just two earned runs over his last 20 innings, going 2-0 in those three games, and has a 2.57 ERA overall.
Oakland acquired Parker, closer Ryan Cook and Collin Cowgill from the Arizona Diamondbacks for Craig Breslow , Trevor Cahill and cash Dec. 9, 2011.
"We're very pleased with what he's doing," Melvin said. "Did we expect him to be able to pitch games like this? Absolutely."
"We traded a prominent All-Star who is under control and young for that. Shows you what we think of him," he said.
Parker's third consecutive powerful outing put him in elite company. He joined Dwight Gooden as the only pitchers to allow one run or fewer in nine of their first 13 starts since 1918.
Cook pitched around an error and a walk in the ninth to record his sixth save. He struck out Ichiro Suzuki with the tying run on second and the go-ahead run on first.
Seattle starter Kevin Millwood left the game after just 2 2-3 innings after again straining his right groin. After retiring Kurt Suzuki on a grounder, Mariners manager Eric Wedge and trainer Rick Griffin visited Millwood on the mound and decided to remove him. Hisashi Iwakuma replaced him.
The 37-year-old Millwood left the Mariners' combined no-hitter June 8 with the same injury after pitching six innings. Though the right-hander did not go on the disabled list, he didn't pitch again until June 16 against San Francisco.
"I don't think it is anything too serious," Wedge said.
John Jaso homered in the Seattle second, tying it at 1. Parker walked Dustin Ackley and Brendan Ryan , then advanced them with a wild pitch. But, he finished his 29-pitch inning by striking out Suzuki on a high 3-2 pitch.
Parker settled in afterward. Only Jaso gave him trouble, reaching base three consecutive times.
Cespedes has hit two home runs in two nights, flashing the power he showed earlier in the season prior to an injured left hand that put him on the disabled list.
Grant Balfour took over for Parker in the eighth and allowed a one-out double to Kyle Seager . Balfour retired Jesus Montero on a fly ball and Michael Saunders on a lineout.
NOTES: The A's allowed seven hits Tuesday night, and allowed 63 hits over the prior 12 games, the fewest by an Athletics team over a 12-game span since 1916. ... Mariners reliever Charlie Furbush has recorded at least one strikeout in 17 consecutive appearances, which is tied for the sixth-longest streak in Seattle history. It's the longest such streak since a 21-game run by Rafael Soriano in 2003.
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Oakland Athletics
