Mariners Stop Streak, Beat A's

Alex Rodriguez reached another milestone Saturday, yet he wasn't about to make a big deal out of it.

Rodriguez homered and the Seattle Mariners stopped their longest losing streak of the season at three, beating the Oakland Athletics 6-4.

"Any time you play a team in your division it's important to win," said Rodriguez. "It's still not a pennant race, though."

Mike Cameron put the Mariners ahead for good with an RBI double in the sixth inning and singled home a run in the eighth. Oakland had won four in a row.

"I had a bunch of bad pitches," said Appier. "That one cost the most. He did a real good job of hitting."

The two RBIs gave Rodriguez 501 for his career.

"I'm going to get a lot more RBIs and I want more," said Rodriguez. "What I really want are wins. I'm not worried yet about records. A thousand RBIs will come soon."

Brett Tomko (2-2) went five innings to earn his first win since April 22. He allowed four runs on seven hits.

"In the fifth I was disappointed in myself," said Tomko. "The first four innings I liked myself."

Jose Mesa pitched the ninth inning for his first save of the season, and his first since last Sept. 16.

The A's had the bases loade in the fourth, but scored just one run.

"For me that's the key," said A's third baseman Eric Chavez, who popped up to end the inning. "We let them off the hook there. We didn't do anything with it."

Appier, who hadn't pitched since April 24 because of a strained right forearm, lasted 5 2-3 innings. He allowed five runs, three of them earned, on five hits and four walks. He struck out five.

Matt Stairs and Ben Grieve each singled home a run in the fifth to tie it at 4.

Jeremy Giambi hit his fourth homer of the season in the second for the A's. Grieve made it 2-all with an RBI single in the fourth.

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