GAME: Athletics (18-19, 2nd, AL West, -5.0 GB) at Mariners (17-19, 3rd, AL West, -5.5 GB). GAME #: 37. SERIES: 2nd of 3 games. MEETING: 6th (Mariners lead 3-2). WHEN: Saturday, 6:10 p.m., Safeco Field. STREAKS: Mariners W 2; Athletics L 5. TV: Root Sports. RADIO: ESPN 710, Mariners Radio Network

Thanks mainly to Hisashi Iwakuma's splendid pitching Friday night in Seattle's 6-3 victory over Oakland at Safeco Field, the Mariners have an opportunity Saturday to supplant the Athletics in second place in the AL West. Friday's victory brought the Mariners (17-19) to within a half a game of the A's (18-19). This is a big deal for a franchise that usually settles into last place by early May and stays there.

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MATCH: San Jose Earthquakes (3-3-5, 14 points, T4, MLS West) at Seattle Sounders FC (2-3-3, 9 points, T8, MLS West). TYPE: MLS. WHEN: Saturday, 1 p.m., CenturyLink Field. MEETING: 12th (Earthquakes lead 6-4-1). TV: KONG. RADIO: 97.3 KIRO FM; SPANISH: KOMO2 (Comcast Ch. 114) and La Gran D 99.3 FM.

What the Oakland Athletics are to the Seattle Mariners -- a nemesis -- the San Jose Earthquakes are becoming to the Seattle Sounders. The Quakes defeated the Sounders four consecutive times, Seattle's last win coming Oct. 15, 2011 in what was Kasey Keller's final regular-season home match.

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Chris Hansen threw down again Friday in his fight to bring the NBA Kings from Sacramento to Seattle, adding $75 million to his bid of $550 million. Here's the text of his statement posted just after noon on his website, sonicsarena.com:

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GAME: Athletics (18-17, 2nd, AL West, -3.5 GB) at Mariners (16-19, 3rd, AL West, -5.5 GB). GAME #: 36. SERIES: 1st of 3 games. MEETING: 5th (series tied 2-2). WHEN: Friday, 7:10 p.m., Safeco Field. STREAKS: Mariners W 1; Athletics L 3. TV: Root Sports. RADIO: ESPN 710, Mariners Radio Network

Between May 1-24, the Mariners will appear at Safeco Field just three times. The first is Friday night against AL West nemesis Oakland, which provides Seattle with an excellent chance to slice into the Athletics' 1.5-game edge in the division standings. The Mariners not only have Hisashi Iwakuma and "Safeco Joe" Saunders going in the series, they will face an Oakland club at its most vulnerable, with three Athletics starters who have struggled, to put it kindly.

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The Seahawks' multiple draft additions along the defensive line have a clearer purpose, now that reserve DT Greg Scruggs is probably lost for the season after surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee.

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The NBA apparently wants Sacramento bidders to offer a deal that the Kings-owning Maloofs cannot refuse -- virtually the same one made by Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer. The Sacramento Bee reported Thursday that the usual unnamed source says the NBA is "encouraging" the group led by software tycoon Vivek Ranadive to put in escrow 100 percent of the price committed by Hansen/Ballmer to the Maloofs, which is said to be $341 million, based on 65 percent of the total valuation of $525 million.

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Buzzer-beaters do not exist in soccer, but defender Djimi Traore essentially hit one Wednesday night to give the Sounders a 1-0 win over host Sporting Kansas City. After the first 90 minutes ended scoreless, three minutes of stoppage time were allotted. But an Eddie Johnson injury added an extra minute, enough for Traore to find the back of the net with his first MLS goal.

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University of Washington senior Chris Williams was named one of three finalists for the annual Ben Hogan Award, presented to the nation's best college golfer, the Golf Coaches Association of America said Wednesday.

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Felix Hernandez (5-2) threw eight more dominant innings and parlayed an unlikely solo home run from Jesus Montero into a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday in a game in which the Mariners scratched out only three hits, none before the fifth inning. Seattle snapped a two-game losing streak and finished its road trip 3-2.

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MATCH: Seattle Sounders FC (1-3-3, 6 points, 9th, MLS West) at Sporting Kansas City (5-3-2, 17 points, T1, MLS East). TYPE: MLS. WHEN: Wednesday, 5:30 p.m., Sporting Park, Kansas City. MEETING: 9th (Sounders lead 5-1-1 all-time in MLS). TV: KONG. RADIO: 97.3 KIRO FM; SPANISH: KOMO2 (Comcast Ch. 114) and La Gran D 99.3 FM.

Following Saturday's 2-2 draw with the Philadelphia Union, in which the last-place Sounders received two red cards (Lamar Neagle, DeAndre Yedlin) and a yellow (Eddie Johnson), head coach Sigi Schmid made an obvious point when he discussed developments with assembled scribes.

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GAME: Mariners (15-19, 3rd, AL West, -5.5 GB) at Pirates (18-14, 2nd, NL Central, -2.0 GB). GAME #: 35. SERIES: 2nd of 2 games. MEETING: 2nd (Pirates lead 1-0). WHEN: 9:35 a.m., PNC Park. STREAKS: Mariners L 2; Pirates W 1. TV: Root Sports. RADIO: ESPN 710, Mariners Radio Network

Over his past four starts, Felix Hernandez, this morning's designee against the Pittsburgh Pirates, is 3-0 with an 0.60 ERA with 35 strikeouts and just two walks. Those efforts have improved Felix's season line to 4-2, 1.60 ERA with a 0.90 WHIP. He's third in the American League in ERA, third in strikeouts (51) and first in innings pitched (50.2).

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Aaron Harang provided a big boost to the back end of the Mariners rotation Tuesday, allowing just two earned runs on five hits over six innings, but Seattle's offense couldn't come up with any run support, scratching out just five hits off six Pittsburgh pitchers in what became a 4-1 loss to the Pirates at PNC Park.

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So now it gets chippy.

Mayor Kevin Johnson, sensing the end of the fight, told reporters in Sacramento Wednesday that he's advising Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer, who apparently are still plotting intrigues, to -- as it is so colorfully expressed in Irish pubs -- bugger off.

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There's something about the way Seattle's Fred Couples talks, tells stories and describes things that are, well, endearing. It's part of the charm of the O'Dea High School grad and Jefferson Park ball scrounger that has made him one of the most popular players in the history of the PGA tour.

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Lorenzo Romar added an assistant from Iowa State,  T.J. Otzelberger,  to replace Lamont Smith, who spent a year at Washington and left for New Mexico. Otzelberger has been at Iowa State seven years, and has been an associate head coach for the Cyclones since 2010.

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Cornerback Marcus Trufant has a shot at a staying in the NFL because his old boss, Gus Bradley, offered a chance in Jacksonville. The Tacoma native, former Washington State Cougar and 11-year Seahawk signed with Jaguars Tuesday, reuniting him with Bradley, the Seahawks defensive coordinator who took the Jags' head coaching job.

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GAME: Mariners (15-18, 3rd, AL West, -5.5 GB) at Pirates (17-14, 2nd, NL Central, -3.0 GB). GAME #: 34. SERIES: 1st of 2 games. MEETING: 1st (Mariners won last series played, 2-1, in 2007). WHEN: 4:05 p.m., PNC Park. STREAKS: Mariners L 1; Pirates L 2. TV: Root Sports. RADIO: ESPN 710, Mariners Radio Network

The Mariners had a good road trip going until they threw Joe Saunders (5.0 IP, 7 ER) out there Sunday to face what had been an inept-hitting Toronto. In fact, the Mariners might have a very nice season going if they didn't have back-of-the-rotation starters that collectively lose twice as often as they win and generally look lame in the process.

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Investors trying to keep the Kings in Sacramento made key concessions to the NBA, including a promise to limit the amount of revenue sharing they would accept, according to a story Monday in Sports Business Journal.

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The Mariners had a lot to point to entering's Sunday's game in Toronto, including opportunities to extend their winning streak to a season-high four games, sweep their first series, and pull within a game of .500. But lefty Joe Saunders made sure none of that happened with another dismal road outing in Seattle's 10-2 loss to the Blue Jays.

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