Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Bartolo Colon spoiled the Mariners' home opener
on Friday, tossing seven scoreless innings for the Athletics in a 4-0 win at
Safeco Field.
Colon (2-1) allowed just three hits, walked one and struck out five in the
opener of this three-game series.
"He gave a different look today, like a veteran guy he made some adjustments,"
said Oakland manager Bob Melvin. "He's calm on the mound and we feel calm
around him. If you have someone out there who's nervous and fidgety, the rest
of the team feels it."
Jemile Weeks hit a solo homer while Coco Crisp, Kurt Suzuki and Cliff
Pennington added an RBI apiece for the Athletics, who just took two of three
from the Royals for their first series win of the season.
Felix Hernandez (1-1) suffered the loss, allowing two runs on seven hits while
striking out six over seven innings. The Mariners have dropped four of their
last five games.
The A's took a 2-0 lead when Pennington doubled home Daric Barton in the
third and crossed the plate two batters later on Crisp's RBI single.
In the fourth, singles by Ichiro Suzuki and Jesus Montero placed runners at
the corners with two away, but Michael Saunders struck out after narrowly
missing a home run with a long foul ball.
Colon set Seattle down in order in the fifth, sixth and seventh and Suzuki
made it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
Ryan Cook spelled Colon in the home half and walked Miguel Olivio and Brendan
Ryan to start the frame before inducing Chone Figgins into a 1-6-3 double
play and grounding out Dustin Ackley.
In the ninth, Weeks homered and Grant Balfour set the Mariners down in order
to seal the win.
Game Notes
The Athletics collected nine hits in the win. They have recorded less than 10
hits in all eight games this season, which marks their longest streak since an
eight-game span to start the 2001 campaign...Montero has recorded a hit in
seven of eight games as a Mariner...Former center fielder Mike Cameron
officially retired as a member of the Mariners on Friday. Cameron, who threw
out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the game, had signed a minor league
deal with the Washington Nationals for the 2012 season, but announced his
retirement before spring training.
The Sports Network