Oakland at Seattle

Oakland continues to battle for a wild card spot, but it's not because of their offense, which is ranked 18th in runs scored, 25th in on-base percentage with a team batting average of .237 (29th). This is the third game of a seven-game road trip and their 9th road game in the last 15 contests. Seattle has a winning record at home and goes with Jason Vargas (14-9, 3.85 ERA), who doesn't walk anyone and is 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA against light hitting Oakland this season. The Mariners are 11-4 in Vargas' last 15 starts with five days of rest and 8-3 in his last 11 starts overall. Oakland has southpaw Tommy Villone, but the Mariners are 10-4 in their last 14 games vs. a left-handed starter. Seattle is a strong 19-7 in their last 26 home games and 4-1 in Vargas' last five starts against the division rival Athletics. Play on Seattle.