OAKLAND, Calif. — When it happens for one game, you hope it is something more than a one-off surprise. If it happens for two consecutive games, you want to believe it’s the start of a trend, but baseball superstition won’t allow you to say it. And, well, if it happens for a third game on Thursday afternoon in the series finale and carries into the three-game series in Anaheim and beyond, then maybe the Mariners might just pull themselves back into consideration for the postseason.
For the second consecutive night at the mostly vacant Oakland Coliseum, the Mariners looked nothing like the team that was shut out four times and scored more than three runs just three times on the previous 11-game homestand. This squad looked like something more than a competent offense, filling the bases with runners, getting timely hits and showing some power in a 9-0 victory.
With the win, the Mariners picked up a much-needed series victory — their fourth in a row on the road — and snapped an overall three-series losing streak. They’ve won 10 of their last 11 games at the Coliseum.
