Oakland hasn't allowed a Seattle run in two games

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Tim Hudson made a point to congratulate Barry Zito before Saturday's game for the near no-hitter Zito threw the night before.

Now, Hudson is expecting to hear some kind words back after the gem he pitched Saturday.

The Oakland right-hander pitched a four-hitter to win his seventh straight decision as the Athletics' pitching staff was near-perfect for the second straight day, defeating the Seattle Mariners 1-0.

Hudson (14-9) had to be good to beat soft-throwing lefty Jamie Moyer, who threw a three-hitter and did not allow an earned run in eight innings.

One day after Zito took a no-hitter into the eighth inning in a 5-0 A's victory, Hudson pitched his second career shutout and 11th career complete game. He is 11-3 in his last 22 starts. He struck out two, compared to Moyer's seven.

Oakland remained tied for first in the AL West with Anaheim, which beat Texas. The two teams lead the Mariners by nine games for the wild card.

Hudson stayed late at the Coliseum on Friday night until Zito's no-hitter was broken up -- several innings longer than he'd typically stick around the night before a start. He wasn't going to miss it if Zito made it through.

"It was a lot of fun,'' Hudson said. "It was a tough act to follow. We're just going out there and trying to pitch and put up zeros and give the team a chance to win.''

The A's took a 1-0 lead on an unearned run in the second, when the Mariners committed consecutive errors by John Olerud and Carlos Guillen. Scott Hatteberg drove in Terrence Long with a single to right.

After giving up the single to Hatteberg, Moyer retired 13 straight batters before Long singled in the seventh.

"Tim threw the ball well and I felt like I threw the ball well,'' Moyer said. "The game turned on a mistake, a key play. I had a feeling this series would be that way. The A's are playing with a lot of confidence right now, and rightfully so.''

Hudson retired the last 17 batters. Mike Cameron's double in the second for Seattle was the lone extra-base hit of the game.

"That was a wasted effort by Jamie, because we couldn't do anything for him,'' Cameron said.

The A's have recorded a major league-leading 19 shutouts. It marked the fifth time they have done it in back-to-back days this season, including the fourth since the All-Star break.

"It's not surprising with the staff we have,'' A's manager Art Howe said. "Maybe they'll have a few more before it's all over.''

The struggling Mariners, who look nothing like the club that won an AL-record 116 games last season, have lost six straight. It's their longest losing streak since they lost eight in a row Aug. 12-20, 2000. The Mariners were shut out in consecutive games for the first time since Sept. 21-22, 1992, at Kansas City.

"We're not swinging the bats well,'' said Olerud, who broke up Zito's no-hit bid Friday and had a hit Saturday. "We're not able to get anything going. We're not getting the breaks.''

The A's got to Moyer early, loading the bases with a walk to David Justice with two outs in the first. But Moyer got Adam Piatt to fly out to center to escape the jam and cruised from there.

The Mariners loaded the bases in the second but Ben Davis hit into a double play to end the threat. Seattle has not scored for 21 innings dating to a Thursday loss at Texas when the Mariners scored in the sixth.

"Hudson threw strikes, kept the ball down, got groundballs and double plays,'' Mariners manager Lou Piniella said. "He was throwing harder than he was earlier in the year. ... They pitched a little better than we did today. How can you fault our guy?''

Game notes
Miguel Tejada and Eric Chavez pulled a double steal in the first for Oakland. ... Hudson moves into first in the AL in day-game ERA (1.90). ... Seattle's Desi Relaford had his 13-game hitting streak snapped. ... It was the second straight game Hudson has had 10 or more groundouts. ... Utilityman Mark McLemore returned to action for the first time since having elbow surgery Sept. 5. He went 0-for-3. ... The A's won their 12th straight home game.