None of that erases the fact the A's just went into Seattle and won, or that they've quietly won back-to-back games after a brutal skid through Texas and Baltimore. This roster has nothing to play for in the standings, but they've shown some fight the last two nights, and Seattle's bullpen has taken some hits of its own down the stretch.
The Mariners are the ones with something real on the line. At 66-75, they're still in the wild card mix, and their remaining schedule is stacked with exactly this kind of series — division and bottom-feeder opponents they should be beating. A loss to a 55-86 team with a green rookie on the mound would sting in a way that a loss to a contender wouldn't.
Seattle's already down Brendan Donovan and dealing with a suddenly thin outfield after Victor Robles went to the bereavement list, so there's real opportunity for whoever slots into that lineup tonight. The Athletics, meanwhile, are just trying to get outs from wherever they can find them — Ginn's been held back, and the list of arms already lost for the season keeps growing. Different stakes, same building: one team needs this game more than the other.