Seattle @ Oakland preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 4, 2015 ) Seattle 0, Oakland 2

The Oakland Athletics can move out of the basement of the American League West if their pitching holds up for one more day. The Athletics are a half game behind the visiting Seattle Mariners and have taken two of the first three in the series going into Sunday.

Oakland was supposed to have ace Sonny Gray on the mound for the series finale but he battled salmonella during the week and was pushed back to Tuesday, leaving room for Chris Bassitt to get another chance. "Make mistakes and they'll make you pay for it," Bassitt told reporters of the Mariners. "They have a lot of really good hitters that have a lot of power. You've got to get ahead early and go right at them." Seattle had a hard time finding that power while being shut out twice in the first three games of the series, including a 2-0 loss on Saturday. The Mariners might only need to squeeze out one run for Sunday’s starter Mike Montgomery, who is going for his third straight shutout.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, ROOT (Seattle), CSN California (Oakland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners LH Mike Montgomery (3-2, 1.62 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Chris Bassitt (0-1, 2.87)

Montgomery struck out 10 and did not walk a batter in a five-hit shutout of the Kansas City Royals on June 23 and then took a no-hitter into the seventh at San Diego on Tuesday before polishing off a one-hit shutout. The rookie, who turned 26 on Wednesday, allowed two or fewer runs in five of his first six major league starts. Montgomery is 2-0 with one run allowed in 15 innings on the road.

Bassitt got the spot start in place of Gray on Tuesday as well and held the Colorado Rockies to one run and five hits in five innings but took the loss. The Ohio native is up with the big league team for the second time this season after working out of the bullpen in late April and early May. Bassitt’s final appearance in that stint came at Seattle on May 9, when he allowed one run on one hit and a pair of walks in 1 1/3 innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Mariners have either shut out their opponent or been shut out in four of their last five games.

2. Oakland CF Billy Burns has recorded multiple hits in five of his last nine games.

3. Montgomery is attempting to join Randy Johnson (1994) as the only pitchers in franchise history to throw three straight shutouts.

PREDICTION: Mariners 5, Athletics 1