AL: Outburst in ninth rights A's

OAKLAND, Calif. - Nick Swisher planned on having an easy afternoon Wednesday after Athletics manager Ken Macha told him he had the day off.

"I was going to use it to get my head right, and the next thing you know I'm up there hitting," he said.

Swisher walked with the bases loaded to force in the final run as Oakland overcame a four-run ninth-inning deficit in a win for the first time in 48 years, beating the Seattle Mariners 8-7.

"The way things have been going, to pull off a win like this gives us momentum and confidence," Swisher said. "The way it happened was cool."

Mark Kotsay and Eric Chavez hit two-run doubles before Swisher's walk. The last time the A's came back from four runs down in the ninth to win was in a doubleheader opener July 4, 1957, when the Kansas City A's beat the Chicago White Sox 5-4.

"That shows you right there how big a win this was," A's closer Huston Street said. "In order to score five runs, you have to do a lot of things and get a little lucky. It was unbelievable. You saw everybody coming through."

Seattle led 5-0 after three and was on the verge of sweeping its first series at Oakland since April 2001 before the comeback against Eddie Guardado, who blew a save for the third time in 34 chances, and Jeff Nelson, who walked Swisher on a full count.

Chavez drove in four as the A's stopped a four-game losing streak. Street got the win.

"When they got the extra run, I looked up and noticed a whole lot of people heading for the exit gates," Macha said. "That was a rough start, but what a comeback."

Swisher, who entered as a pinch-hitter in the sixth, was in an 0-for-15 slide when he led off the ninth with Oakland trailing 7-3 and singled off J.J. Putz. Mark Ellis walked, and Guardado relieved and gave up a single to Jason Kendall that loaded the bases.

After the doubles, Jay Payton was intentionally walked. Scott Hatteberg popped out to the catcher on a bunt, and Dan Johnson reached on an infield single that loaded the bases.

RED SOX 6, ANGELS 3: Hernando's Bronson Arroyo recovered from a rough beginning, and host Boston overcame a three-run deficit with the help of David Ortiz's two-run single.

Ortiz, whose homer in the ninth gave the Red Sox a 3-2 win Tuesday night, tied the score in the third with his single, one pitch after he appeared to swing his bat far enough for a third strike. It was ruled a ball and, after third-base umpire Larry Young upheld the call by plate umpire Fieldin Culbreth, Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia yelled from the dugout and was ejected.

INDIANS 4, TIGERS 1: Casey Blake homered twice and C.C. Sabathia pitched his first complete game of the season as visiting Cleveland finished a three-game sweep. Detroit, which scored two in the sweep, lost its season-high seventh straight.

TWINS 8, RANGERS 6: Host Minnesota came back from a five-run deficit for the second straight game, winning this time by taking advantage of pitcher Doug Brocail's throwing error on a bunt to score two in the sixth.

WHITE SOX 1, ROYALS 0: Paul Konerko homered for their fourth straight game, and host Chicago won its seventh in a row. Konerko, who homered off Mike Wood in the third, has a 12-game hitting streak.

BLUE JAYS 7, ORIOLES 4: Frank Catalanotto singled in the tiebreaking run in a four-run seventh, giving visiting Toronto its first series win since mid August.

[Last modified September 8, 2005, 01:50:14]