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OAKLAND, Calif. -- Marcus Semien is having a lot of success since being moved up in the Oakland Athletics batting order.Then again, the young shortstop has been doing well just about anywhere manager Bob Melvin pencils him in the lineup.Semien matched his career-high with four hits and sparked two big innings while batting second for the third consecutive game, and the As beat Seattle 6-3 on Friday night to end the Mariners six-game winning streak.It felt great, Semien said. Thats the goal every night. Its not going to happen every night but you work hard every day in the cage and BP to do that.Semien began the year batting ninth in the As lineup but an injury to Jed Lowrie opened a spot near the top of the order. For the last three weeks, Melvin has used Semien more and more to fill that hole.Its worked out well, too. Over his last eight games Semien is batting .400.He can hit anywhere in the lineup, Melvin said. This the first time hes had any significant time in the two hole against righties. One of the reasons is Jed (Lowrie) is out ... but you cant ignore 23 home runs and second on our team in RBI.Yonder Alonso hit a tiebreaking two-run single in the sixth inning off rookie Joe Wieland, Khris Davis added his career-high 28th home run and Stephen Vogt had an RBI double and scored twice to help the As to their fourth win in five games.Sean Manaea fought early command issues and allowed three runs over six innings for his first win since June 29. Manaea (4-7) gave up three hits, walked three and struck out four.Kyle Seager homered and Shawn OMalley added two hits for the Mariners.Seattle had won seven straight at the Coliseum, including a three-game sweep in May, before going cold offensively in its return.The Mariners hit into inning-ending double plays in the first, second and third innings and failed to score after Manaea walked the leadoff batter each time.We didnt do a whole lot offensively, Seattle manager Scott Servais said. It was like groundhog day: double play, double play, double play the first three innings.Ryan Madson retired three batters for his 25th save.Oakland broke the game open in the sixth with five consecutive singles, including Alonsos tiebreaker.Alonso, who also singled in the eighth, is hitting .361 over his last 11 games.Wieland (0-1), acquired from the Dodgers in the offseason, allowed six runs and nine hits with three strikeouts in his Mariners debut.GOING OPPODavis, the only batter on Oaklands roster who had faced Wieland, lined an opposite field, two-run homer in the first that had the As players and coaches buzzing long after the game ended. Guys just dont do that, Melvin said. His opposite field power is similar to a guy like (Detroits Miguel) Cabrera. You just dont see that from guys like that.TRAINERS ROOMMariners: Steve Cishek (torn left hip labrum) is expected to begin a rehab assignment soon but Servais said Cishek wont be coming back as the teams closer when he returns to the big league club. Edwin Diaz, who has converted all five save opportunities since taking over as closer, will remain in that role. ... James Paxton, who was hit in the elbow by a line drive Aug. 7, is still sore but Servais is hopeful to have the lefty back in the rotation early next week. ... OF Daniel Robertson was designated for assignment.Athletics: Sean Doolittle threw off a mound and faced hitters, an encouraging sign for the teams former closer who has been on the DL with a strained left elbow since June 26. ... RHP Jesse Hahn (strained right shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Saturday. ... Patrick Schuster was claimed off waivers by Philadelphia. Schuster was designated for assignment on Wednesday.UP NEXTMariners: RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (13-7) makes his 13th career start against the As on Saturday night. Iwakuma has 12 wins over his last 15 starts.Athletics: RHP Kendall Graveman (8-7) will face Seattle for the third time this season. Graveman is 7-1 over his past 13 starts. Orlando Cepeda Jersey . Third-seeded Murray had the easiest path to victory on New Years Eve, barely breaking a sweat during his 6-0, 6-0 win over 2,129th-ranked Qatari wildcard recipient Mousa Shanan Zayed. Jeff Burroughs Jersey . Belfort (24-10) needed just 77 seconds to down Henderson in the headlining bout of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson" event at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. The fight served as a rematch of the pairs 2006 meeting, which Henderson won by decision. https://www.cheapbraves.com/73o-ronald-acuna-jr-jersey-braves.html . The phone hearing is scheduled for 4:30pm et/1:30pm pt. 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PITTSBURGH -- Pirates rookie Josh Bell came up big again Sunday, but it wasnt enough this time.Bells baserunning helped Pittsburgh tie the score in the seventh, before Kris Bryants RBI double in the eighth lifted the Chicago Cubs to a 6-5 victory over the Pirates on Sunday.The Pirates tied the score at 5-5 after the Cubs failed to turn a double play off a dribbler from Starling Marte in the seventh. With Bell, who led off the inning with a walk, at second base and John Jaso at first, Marte grounded to shortstop Addison Russell as Bell ran back to second.Russell didnt tag Bell and instead handed off to second baseman Ben Zobrist, whose relay throw to first failed to beat Marte. First baseman Anthony Rizzo threw back across the diamond to third, where Bell avoided a tag from Javier Baez.Today, (Bell) made a very good baserunning play to throw it in reverse and to stay out of the tag, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. Then he was able to restart it and get to third base, that was very good baseball awareness and a very good play there.With runners on the corners and one out, Andrew McCutchen drove in Bell with a fly to deep right field. Reliever Pedro Strop ended the inning by getting David Freese on a fly ball.Bell, called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, went 2-for-2 and reached base in each of his three pinch-hit at-bats during the weekend series. He singled off Cubs ace Jake Arrieta in his first career at-bat Friday and hit his first grand slam in the fifth inning Saturday.Im not sure he could have a better three at-bats, just based on what was out there for those at-bats, Hurdle said. Today, a lead-off at-bat against a guy thats an experienced guy, to stretch that out, it was good to see. He checked all the boxes we had for him when we called him up. It was to help as a bat off the bench and help us win some games.Pinch-hitter Matt Szczur doubled to left field with one out in the eighth against Pirates reliever Tony Watson (1-3). Bryant, who had three hits and reached base four times, followed with his tiebreaking hit to put the Cubs back ahead.I just go out and try to make something happen, Szczur said. I was able to get a good pitch to drive and (Bryant) did the rest. . Weve been grinding, were a bunch of grinders, so that was a good way to end the first half. We feel good about ourselves.Chicago avoided a series sweep ended its five game losing streak. Pittsburgh lost for just the second time in 11 games heading to the All-Star breaak.ddddddddddddWith the win, the Cubs carry a seven-game lead over the second-place St. Louis Cardinals into the break.We need a break, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. We need to get guys rested. The combination of the schedule and, more specifically, the last week with the way games were scheduled, it put us in a fatigue situation.After Strop (2-2) gave up McCutchens tying sacrifice fly in the seventh, Carl Edwards pitched a hitless eighth and Hector Rondon got the last three outs for his 14th save.Strop had come in for starter John Lackey, who had another inconsistent outing. After allowing four runs in his first three innings, which included McCutchens 14th home run of the season and his second in two days, Lackey rebounded by shutting down the Pirates through the following three innings.Lackey lost his control again when he walked Bell and allowed Jaso to follow with a single to start the seventh inning.Pirates starter Jonathan Niese fared worse, giving up five earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. He was pulled in favor of Arquimedes Caminero in the fourth inning after surrendering a two-run home run to Albert Almora Jr., retiring the following two batters and allowing back-to-back hits to Bryant and Rizzo in top of the fourth inning.Niese has lost five of his past six starts and is 7-7 after beginning the season 6-2.TRAINERS ROOMCubs: OF Dexter Fowler will miss the All-Star Game on Tuesday and likely some time following the break. Fowler, who is recovering form a right hamstring strain, played in his first minor-league rehab game for Class A South Bend on Friday. He will travel to San Diego to take part in the All-Star festivities.Pirates: OF Gregory Polanco did not play for a second consecutive game due to left hamstring tightness. ... 2B Josh Harrison also was absent. He exited Pittsburghs game Saturday in the third inning after fouling a fastball off his left foot. ... RHP Gerrit Cole made his second rehab start with Class Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday. He is expected to rejoin Pittsburgh following the break.UP NEXTCubs: Chicago wont play again until Friday, when it will come out of the All-Star break to face the surging Texas Rangers, who limped into the break.Pirates: The Washington Nationals will welcome Pittsburgh to Nationals Park following the break for the first game of a three-game weekend set starting Friday. ' ' '