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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
SEATTLE (AP) -- Given an Oakland loss, the Seattle Mariners
couldn't take advantage.
|  | | Scarborough Green stole five bases for the Rangers, setting a new Texas team record. |
Jamie Moyer lasted only 1 2/3 innings in his shortest start of the season, and the Mariners lost to the Texas Rangers 13-6
Thursday night.
Seattle (89-70), which played its final home game of the regular
season, maintained its half-game AL West lead over second-place
Oakland (88-70), which lost to Anaheim 6-3 in 14 innings.
"You want to capitalize when you have a chance, but we
didn't," Alex Rodriguez said.
The Mariners go to Anaheim for a three-game series starting
Friday, while the Athletics are home for three games against Texas,
then travel to Tampa for a makeup game Monday night.
"Let's hope they swing the bats in Oakland over the weekend,"
Mariners manager Lou Piniella said after watching the Rangers get
15 hits. "Let's hope they carry on like this."
The Mariners got closer to the playoffs when Cleveland (87-72) lost to Minnesota 4-3 in 10 innings and remained 1½ games behind Oakland in the wild card standings and two games behind Seattle.
Seattle could clinch a playoff berth Friday if it wins and Cleveland loses.
"We've been playing pretty good the last two weeks," Edgar Martinez said. "We just had a bad game."
Moyer, making his 26th start, allowed four runs and six hits, and Seattle gave up double-digit runs for the 14th time this year -- the third time against Texas.
Moyer, who declined to speak reporters, is 2-7 with a 6.48 ERA in
his last 12 starts after going 11-3 with a 4.00 ERA in his first 14.
"He told me he couldn't get the ball down," Piniella said.
"It was obvious he wasn't sharp."
Seattle's bullpen, which had a 2.08 ERA in September coming in,
gave up nine runs, nine hits and six walks.
"We didn't pitch very well today," Piniella said.
The crowd of 43,264 at Safeco Field cheered wildly when the A's
final score was posted, but the fans watched quietly after Texas
took a 6-5 lead with a two-run fifth and broke open the game with
four more runs in the sixth.
Many left after Ruben Sierra's three-run homer off Frankie
Rodriguez in the eighth, Sierra's first major league home run since
May 19, 1998.
Rick Helling (16-13) gave up home runs to Martinez and John
Olerud, but managed to stop the Rangers' five-game losing streak,
allowing six runs and five hits in six innings.
Scarborough Green broke Texas' stolen base record with five, one
more than David Hulse had against Milwaukee on May 1, 1993. The
Rangers had six steals on Seattle catcher Joe Oliver.
Trailing 5-4, the Rangers went ahead in the fifth off Brett
Tomko (7-5) on RBI singles by Chad Curtis and Sierra.
Then in the sixth, the Rangers made it 10-5 on Rafael Palmeiro's
sacrifice fly and Ricky Ledee's three-run double off Jose Mesa.
Palmeiro had a sacrifice fly in the first to give the Rangers a
1-0 lead and the Rangers increased the lead to 4-0 in the second on
Scott Sheldon's run-scoring, double-play grounder and Green's
two-run single.
Seattle rebounded with a five-run third. Stan Javier had an RBI
single, Rodriguez hit a two-run double over Green in center and
Martinez hit a two-run homer, his 36th of the season. Olerud
homered in the sixth.
Rangers manager Johnny Oates said Texas (71-88) wants to avoid
losing its first 90-loss season since 1988.
"We're trying to win some ballgames," he said. "There are a lot of guys here who would not like to lose 90 games."
Game notes
The Mariners had their 10th five-run inning of the season.
... The Rangers had four doubles, giving them a team-record 327
this season. ... The Mariners drew 3,148,317 in their first full
season at Safeco, an average of 38,868. It fell short of the team
record 3,192,237, set in 1997, when the Mariners won their second
AL West title. ... The Mariners sent minor league OF Terrmel Sledge
to Montreal to complete the Aug. 8 waiver deal for C Chris Widge.
Sledge hit .339 in 103 games at Lancaster of the Class A California
League and .217 in seven games at Wisconsin of the Class A Midwest
League. The Mariners also sent LHP Sean Spencer to the Expos. The
Mariners added Widger because Oliver was having back spasms.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Texas Clubhouse
Seattle Clubhouse
Mariners' CEO to talk with Piniella, A-Rod after season
RECAPS
Anaheim 6
Oakland 3
Texas 13
Seattle 6
Baltimore 23
Toronto 1
Minnesota 4
Cleveland 3
Tampa Bay 11
NY Yankees 3
Boston 7
Chi. White Sox 6
Kansas City 8
Detroit 5
Florida 7
Montreal 4
Philadelphia 4
Chicago Cubs 2
Arizona 12
Colorado 3
Cincinnati 8
Milwaukee 1
St. Louis 7
San Diego 6
Pittsburgh 3
Houston 2
NY Mets 8
Atlanta 2
San Francisco 5
Los Angeles 3
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Joe Oliver will be happy to get into the playoffs any way he can.
wav: 55 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Alex Rodriguez expects his team to treat each game as an important game.
wav: 120 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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