A's 9, M's 0

The Mariners dropped their first game of the regular season. Oakland shut them out 9-0.

M's off to a balky start

The Mariners' two-day festival of good vibes and avenging victories came to a crashing halt Wednesday in a 9-0 loss at Safeco Field.

While Rich Harden, Oakland's version of Felix Hernandez by way of Victoria, B.C., was shutting Seattle down with authority, Miguel Batista had a nightmare Mariners debut.

In his first start since signing a three-year, $25 million free-agent contract in December, Batista entered the game laden with expectations that he will help solidify Seattle's rotation.

He left in the fifth inning laden with a 15.43 earned-run average. In 4-2/3 innings, before giving way to the credible major-league debut of Sean White, Batista allowed the A's 10 hits — four of them doubles of the booming variety — and eight runs.

Ouch.