OAKLAND, Calif. -- When the Seattle Mariners were in the midst of a recent eight-game losing streak, manager Lloyd McClendon reminded his players such stretches happen, and they will happen again. Then he challenged them to respond in a positive way. The club is now doing a little bit of everything right to get back on track. Rookie Roenis Elias struck out six while pitching into the seventh to win consecutive starts for the first time, Justin Smoak drove in three runs and the Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics 8-3 on Tuesday night for their season-best fourth straight victory. "Its been something incredible," Elias said. "Everybodys together doing their job. I like my team how theyre playing baseball." Smoak hit an RBI double and Dustin Ackley a run-scoring single in the first to back Elias (3-2), who followed up a 10-strikeout gem at Yankee Stadium his last time out with another impressive start once he settled down. The Mariners jumped on Jesse Chavez (2-1) to take a quick first-inning lead for the second straight game against the As -- and Seattle scored all three of its first-inning runs with two outs on the way to its ninth win in 11 games overall. "We know that were not going to win a playoff spot in April," Michael Saunders said. "However, that being said, losing eight straight was a definite learning experience for us. Its not going to be the last time." Chavez got a scare and escaped injury in the fourth when he saved himself from a hard-hit liner by Saunders by catching the screamer that was going right for his face. "It was all reflexes, I just put my glove up," Chavez said. "As soon as I let go of the pitch I saw him make contact. Ive jumped out of the way at balls at my lower body, but Ive never had one like that at my face before." Making the play knocked him off his feet to end the fourth, and the small Coliseum crowd of 12,106 briefly fell silent. "Luckily no one got hurt. I havent seen the replay but guys said it had a chance to hit him square in the face," Saunders said. Chavez got a double play to face the minimum in the fifth, but his night ended after allowing Mike Zuninos sixth-inning sacrifice fly following a hit batsman and a walk. Oakland No. 9 hitter Nick Punto pulled Oakland back in it with a two-run, two-out single in the second. Yoenis Cespedes, back in the starting lineup after nursing a left hamstring injury, hit a leadoff home run in the sixth. The As squandered a scoring chance in the seventh against Dominic Leone, leaving the tying run on third as they again struggled with runners in scoring position. Elias allowed three runs and five hits with three walks in 6 1-3 innings in his seventh career start. Sean Doolittle struck out all four batters he faced in relief of Chavez. But Seattle added on four unearned runs in the top of the ninth against 2013 AL saves leader Jim Johnson, who was booed off the mound when pulled by manager Bob Melvin as fans headed for the exits. Smoak added a two-run single. For Wednesdays doubleheader, Felix Hernandez will pitch Game 1 for Seattle and Erasmo Ramirez the second. As manager Bob Melvin didnt announce his choice for the nightcap, though Dan Straily pitches the opener. Oakland will make right-hander Arnold Leon its 26th player for the second game but is likely to start Drew Pomeranz since he didnt pitch in relief Tuesday. The 25-year-old Leons family was scheduled to fly in from Mexico for his likely major league debut after nine seasons in the minors. The teams are playing two after an April 4 game was called because of a soggy field that had mistakenly gone without its tarp during a heavy rainstorm. NOTES: Saunders, who came in batting .393 with a homer and five RBIs in seven games batting leadoff, went 0 for 4 atop the order. "I dont like messing with success," McClendon said. "Hes been doing great, weve been doing great. Its kind of hard to change that."... As reliever Eric OFlaherty, on the disabled list since undergoing Tommy John surgery in the off-season, threw a 30-pitch bullpen session and could begin throwing to hitters soon, and Melvin said an announcement on the pitchers next step would come Wednesday. ... Melvin said Triple-A catcher Stephen Vogt, an As playoff star last October currently on Sacramentos disabled list, is close to returning from a strained oblique muscle. 02:32ET 07-05-14 Fake Yeezys Outlet . She still remembers the massive roar of the home crowd when the Canadians walked out on the pitch before 47,784 fans at Commonwealth Stadium in 2002. Lang expects a similar reception for the Canadian team as the host nation at this years tournament, which begins Tuesday. Wholesale Fake Yeezys . Still, its a start. Josh Baileys goal with 1:40 left capped a furious third-period rally, and the Islanders edged the Penguins 4-3 on Friday night. http://www.fakeyeezysforsale.com/. "Im proud, obviously. Its been a long day, but now Im a Crystal Palace player, Im very happy," Bannan said. "The seasons been started now for a couple of weeks and Ive not featured at Villa. Fake Yeezy Boost 350 V3 .Balotelli uploaded on Instagram a picture of the video-game character Super Mario, with whom the Italy international shares a nickname, with text around the image including jumps like a black man and grabs coins like a Jew. Fake Yeezys Online .C. United on Saturday night and boost the Unions playoff hopes. Nick DeLeon scored in the 36th minute for United (3-23-6), which had ample opportunities to build on its lead but went its 10th straight match without a victory.PRETORIA, South Africa - Kneeling in court and swinging a cricket bat at Oscar Pistorius toilet door, a South African forensic analyst demonstrated Wednesday how the double-amputee athlete may have bashed the door to get to the girlfriend he had just fatally shot. Col. J.G. Vermeulen said he believed Pistorius was on his stumps when he swung his bat at the brown cubicle door. The defence, on cross-examination of the policeman, insisted instead that Pistorius was wearing his prosthetic legs when hitting the door in the pre-dawn hours of Valentines Day last year — and the marks from the bat on the door were lower down because the athlete swung with a bent back. The intricate argument over whether Pistorius, the first amputee to run at the Olympics and now on trial for murder, was on his prosthetic limbs or not is important because it could match parts of his story that he accidentally shot Reeva Steenkamp. It could also show that he is lying. The athlete has said he fearfully approached the bathroom on his stumps on Feb. 14 last year and shot Steenkamp by mistake, thinking she was an intruder hiding behind the door. According to his account, he then put on his prostheses and tried to kick down the locked toilet door, and battered it with a cricket bat to get to his girlfriend after realizing what he had done. Prosecutors maintain he intentionally shot the 29-year-old model and have charged him with murder. He pleaded not guilty to all charges against him, which also include three firearm related counts. The actual door that Pistorius shot through a year ago was erected in the Pretoria courtroom Wednesday. The bat he used that night was also used in the dramatic demonstrations. And there was even a toilet cubicle behind the door, recreated to the exact specifications of the small area of Pistorius bathroom where Steenkamp was fatally shot, Vermeulen said. It included a toilet bowl. The door also had what appeared to be white tags on it and, lower down and below the handle four bullet holes were clearly visible. Pistorius shot at Steenkamp four times through the door, hitting her in the hip, arm and head. One shot missed, the court has heard. Vermeulen, who said he has 29 years experience as a forensic analyst, said it was his belief that Pistorius was on his stumps — and against what the athlete says — when he hit the door.dddddddddddd "The marks is consistent with him being in a natural position without his prostheses," Vermeulen said. The police analyst was repeatedly asked by both the prosecution and defence to demonstrate his assertions by swinging the bat at the door. "Its quite low down on the door," Vermeulen testified about one of the marks he said were made by the bat. He said it was "not the normal position that I would expect from a mark from a cricket bat." Defence lawyer Barry Roux countered that Pistorius hit the door with a "bent back" and that the low marks were consistent with such a body position. Roux also made it clear that the prosecution had now retracted initial claims that Pistorius was on his prosthetics when he fired the shots that killed Steenkamp. It is now accepted, Vermeulen said, that he was probably on his stumps. That mistaken claim by prosecutors in the early part of the investigation was used by them to argue there was premeditation in the killing because they believed the disabled runner planned the killing while putting his prosthetics limbs on. Earlier, Vermeulen also said a metal panel on the wall of the main bathroom in Pistorius home had been damaged by being hit with a "hard" object, or after the object fell against it. The steel plate was new evidence. A photo of the damaged plate was shown. Prosecutors say Pistorius intentionally shot Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, after a fight. Led by questions from prosecutor Gerrie Nel, Vermeulen removed his blazer and walked down from the witness stand and over to the door to demonstrate to the judge how he believes the door was hit by Pistorius last year. Vermeulen said he was particularly interested in two specific marks on the door that he concluded were made by the bat and with the use of court photos and by kneeling down in court, Vermeulen showed the low position that the person could have been in when striking the door with the bat. Pistorius faces a possible life sentence if convicted of murder for killing Steenkamp. The judge, who watched the demonstrations Wednesday, will ultimately decide on the verdict. There is no trial by jury in South Africa. Associated Press writer Torchia reported from Johannesburg. ' ' '