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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
SEATTLE (AP) – Art Howe has a lot of confidence in Barry Zito.
Zito held Seattle hitless into the sixth inning as the Oakland
Athletics beat the Mariners 5-1 Tuesday night.
|  | | The word is out on Barry Zito, Oakland's 22-year-old lefty. He was untouchable until the sixth and allowed three singles in seven innings. |
"Everyone is questioning us using him as a No. 2 pitcher," the
A's manager said. "He showed them tonight. He's a quality
pitcher."
Zito (1-0), making his 15th career start, gave up Mike Cameron's
single up the middle for Seattle's first hit with two outs in the
sixth. In seven innings, Zito gave up three singles and walked
four, with a wild pitch and five strikeouts.
"That's all right, that's fine," Zito said. "No-hitters are
bonuses."
Howe said he wouldn't have let Zito go nine innings even if he
would have had a no-hitter going. Zito was taken out after 102
pitches.
"I've done that before," Howe said. "I've pulled guys out
with no-hitters. It wouldn't have been the first time."
Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle's new leadoff hitter and a seven-time
batting champion in Japan, was 0-for-3 with a strikeout against
Zito.
Asked by the Japanese media about Suzuki's performance, Mariners
manager Lou Piniella was brief.
"Not as good as last night," Piniella said, referring to
Suzuki's 2-for-5 night Monday.
Miguel Tejada's grand slam in the third off John Halama (0-1)
gave Zito a 4-0 lead. Tejada's 413-foot shot over the center-field
fence came after singles by Jose Ortiz and Jason Giambi, and a walk
to Eric Chavez.
"That was a bomb," Howe said. "To hit it out of this ballpark
in this cold weather, that was a pop."
Tejada said he hit a fastball.
"It's hard," Tejada said. "It's a big ballpark. Even in BP,
it's hard. I think this is a ballpark for pitching."
Halama said the home-run pitch wasn't a fastball, but a
changeup.
"I don't know if it was a bad pitch or up," he said. "I think
he was sitting on it. He hit it very well."
Cameron, Seattle's center fielder, soared above the fence in an
attempt to catch Tejada's shot.
"It was about a body length away from me," he said. "Another
5 feet in the ballpark and I'd have had it."
The A's, who lost on opening night to the Mariners 5-4, made it
5-0 and knocked out Halama in the fourth on a double by Adam Piatt
and Johnny Damon's RBI single.
Without Alex Rodriguez, who signed a $252 million contract with
Texas as a free agent during the winter, the Mariners have 13 hits,
12 singles, in their first two games.
In the fourth, Zito walked Cameron and Edgar Martinez. Cameron
went to third on John Olerud's fly ball and Martinez went to second
on a wild pitch. But Zito struck out Bret Boone to end the threat.
After Cameron's single on a 1-0 pitch, Martinez followed with a
single to right to put Cameron on third. But Zito got Olerud to pop
up to second to end the Mariners' sixth.
Zito walked Anthony Sanders and David Bell in the seventh, but
Dan Wilson's ground ball hit Sanders for the second out of the
inning. Carlos Guillen hit a fly ball to center for the third out.
The Mariners scored their only run in the eighth off Jeff Tam on
Olerud's sacrifice fly.
Zito, 22, Oakland's first-round draft choice in 1999, was 7-4
with a 2.72 ERA in 14 starts as a rookie for the A's last season.
The left-hander was called up from Triple-A Sacramento last July 9.
"I felt good tonight," Zito said. "Sometimes you just know
how you're going to do. The thoughts you think are very important.
If you think you have the right stuff, nine times out of 10 you
do."
Halama, a 14-game winner for Seattle last season, lasted 3 1/3
innings. He allowed five runs on seven hits and a walk, with two
strikeouts.
Game notes
Tejada's grand slam was the third of his career. ... In two
games, Seattle's starting pitchers have a 12.15 ERA (nine earned
runs in 6 2/3 innings). ... Safeco Field's retractable roof was
closed the entire game. The temperature at game time was 48
degrees. ... The Mariners have scored two runs and are hitting .150
(6-for-40) against Oakland's starters. ... Suzuki went 0-for-4 and
is 2-for-9 in his first two major league games. ... Seattle's
bullpen stretched its scoreless streak to 11 1/3 innings.
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RECAPS
Minnesota 3
Detroit 2
Texas 3
Anaheim 2
Tampa Bay 8
Toronto 1
Oakland 5
Seattle 1
NY Mets 6
Atlanta 4
Houston 11
Milwaukee 3
Cincinnati 3
Pittsburgh 2
Philadelphia 4
Florida 3
Arizona 3
Los Angeles 2
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