Taking full advantage of a 3-hour window between rainstorms, the Mariners impressed in their 2019 Spring Training debut as they defeated the Oakland Athletics, 8-1, at Peoria Stadium on Friday. The game started off with a bang as second baseman Dee Gordon walked and stole second. Right fielder Mitch Haniger followed with a two-run home run on a 3-2 pitch for a quick 2-0 lead.
Starting pitcher Mike Leake gave up just one hit and one walk while striking out two in two scoreless innings.
Left-hander Zac Rosscup followed Leake with a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the third, recording back-to-back strikeouts to close it out. Left fielder Ichiro Suzuki doubled the lead, driving home pinch-runner Kristopher Negrón and Haniger in the bottom of the third. Second baseman Tim Lopes scored on an error in the bottom of the fourth, giving the Mariners a 5-0 lead. Catcher Jose Lobaton piled on top of that in the bottom of the fifth, driving home left fielder Dustin Ackley with an RBI-single to left field. Designated hitter Joe DeCarlo followed that up with a 2-run single to bring in Lopes and Lobaton, making the score 8-0.
Right-hander Justin Dunn struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 sixth inning. Right-hander Chasen Bradford followed with a strikeout in a scoreless seventh inning. Right-hander Ruben Alaniz escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the eighth inning. In the top of the ninth, Nick Rumbelow allowed a solo home run.
The Mariners return to Cactus League play tomorrow (Saturday, February 23) hosting the San Diego Padres at 12:10 PT/1:10 MT at Peoria Stadium. The game will be broadcast in the Seattle area on 710 ESPN Seattle and the Mariners Radio Network. It will also be televised live in HD on ROOT Sports NW. Right-handed pitcher Félix Hernández is scheduled to start for the Mariners against Padres right-hander Bryan Mitchell.
LINESCORE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
ATHLETICS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 4 1
MARINERS 2 0 2 1 3 0 0 0 X – 8 14 0
W – Leake (1-0); L – Mengden (0-1); SV – None
SEA – Leake, Rosscup (3), Armstrong (4), Altavilla (5), Dunn (6), Bradford (7), Alaniz (8), Rumbelow (9) and Freitas, Lobaton (5)
OAK – Mengden, Hendricks (2), Butcher (3), Crockett (3), Luzardo (4), Wendelken (5), Schlitter (5), Lobstein (6), Buchanan (7), Kiekhefer (8) and Herrmann, Murphy (4)
Home Runs – SEA: Haniger (1); OAK: Murphy (1)
Attendance – 5,298 Time – 3:03
