SEATTLE -- At this point, not only does it feel like you can expect the A’s to lose whenever they go up against the Mariners, but there’s also a formula they typically follow when doing so.

The equation begins with the A’s jumping out to an early lead, only to see it disappear as a result of a short outing by their starting pitcher. Then, in the later innings, Oakland’s offense will fade against Seattle’s bullpen while the Mariners offense comes to life against the A’s relief corps over that same stretch.

It’s a pattern that has been seen so often in the A’s 14 losses against Seattle in 18 matchups this season and one that held true again in Tuesday’s 4-2 defeat at T-Mobile Park. The loss leaves Oakland on the brink of elimination from playoff contention at 3 1/2 games back of Boston for the second American League Wild Card spot with four games left in the regular season.

"It’s been a tough pill to swallow, especially these last couple weeks," said A’s second baseman Tony Kemp. "The boys give a hundred percent every time and we want to win. As the season winds down, it’s just a matter of putting your best foot forward, go out there and have fun. 

"[The Mariners] have played us tough all year. Sometimes you have to admit when a team has a bit of your number."

This time it was Chad Pinder providing an early lead with a solo home run to lead off the fourth inning, only to see it vanish several minutes later. Chris Bassitt, who was still on a precautionary pitch limit in what was his second start back from injury, departed in the fourth at 67 pitches after issuing a one-out walk to Jarred Kelenic.

After Bassitt was relieved by Yusmeiro Petit, it only took the Mariners five pitches against the veteran right-hander to take the lead on a two-run double by Jake Fraley. After that, the A’s collected just five hits and one run on Kemp's RBI single over five innings against Seattle’s bullpen. On the flipside, the Mariners continued to add some insurance with a couple of runs, including one off the bat of Mitch Haniger, who homered against Oakland for the third time in two days.

"It just seems like they get those clutch hits when they need it," Kemp said of the Mariners. "They’ve won a lot of one-run ballgames. That’s a testament to their bullpen. When these guys get in the late innings and their bullpen comes in, their defense tightens up. They just know how to win ballgames. It’s been showing, especially against us."

The A’s frustrations against the Mariners continue to reach new levels of history. Tuesday’s loss was their 11th consecutive against Seattle, matching their longest such streak against any team since losing 11 straight to the Yankees from July 5, 2010-July 22, 2011. Over those 11 games, the A’s have been outscored, 59-30. For the season series, the A’s are now 4-14, also matching their most losses to Seattle in a single season. They went 5-14 in head-to-head matchups in 2007 and 2009.

The A’s entered the 2021 season expecting to face some difficulty in topping the Astros to defend their AL West crown. Never did they imagine being in third place in the division and struggling to chase down the Mariners in late September.

"Going into this year, I don’t know how many people on either team would have said the Mariners are better than us," Bassitt said. "But the game is proving otherwise."

Regardless of how slim their playoff hopes may be, the A’s desperately will want a win on Wednesday. The last thing they want is to cap a tough season series against a division rival with yet another loss.

“We need to come out and win a game tomorrow,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “It would make everybody feel a lot better about the way things have gone with [Seattle].”