Mariners Game Recap: M’s Explode for 9 Runs in Win against Giants

It was a hot day on Thursday in Peoria, and the ball was flying all over the yard.

The Seattle Mariners (8-8) topped the San Francisco Giants (6-10), 9-6 this afternoon in Peoria, AZ. If you are a fan of offense, then you likely enjoyed watching today’s slug fest. Vidal Nuno (1-1, 5.40 ERA) earned the win for the M’s, and Jeff Samardzija (0-2, 8.31 ERA) was credited with the loss for the visitors. Casey Coleman picked up his first save of the spring for Seattle.

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Hisashi Iwakuma got the start this afternoon for Seattle, and he was noticeably less sharp than his previous two Cactus League outings. Kuma retired the side in order during the first inning, but the veteran right-hander ran into some trouble in the second frame. He uncharacteristically issued two free passes and was touched up for three hits en route to allowing a pair of runs to score in the second. Things got even worse in the third inning, as the Giants plated two more runs on four hits before Kuma was pulled with two outs. Overall, Iwakuma allowed four runs on seven hits with zero strikeouts and two walks across 2.2 innings.

Vidal Nuno entered the game with two outs in the second inning, and the southpaw hurled 1.1 shutout innings for Seattle. Mike Montgomery is competing for a spot in the M’s bullpen, and he pitched a scoreless fifth inning today. Mayckol Guiape was called on in the sixth, and allowed one run on three hits across two innings of work. Emilio Pagan made quick work of the Giants in the eighth to preserve the M’s three-run cushion. Casey Coleman shut the door in the ninth to earn the save for Seattle.

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Shawn O’Malley has put together a quality spring so far for Seattle, and he had yet another great game on Wednesday. The 28-year-old Southridge, WA product went 2 for 2 with a solo home run and two runs scored. Luis Sardinas kept pace with O’Malley in the race to be the M’s utility infielder, going 1 for 3 with a home run and two RBI. This is a very intriguing position battle right now, and it should be fun to watch during the back half of the Mariners Cactus League schedule.

Many of the M’s regulars also had nice days against the Giants in Peoria. Chris Iannetta went 2 for 3 with a double and two runs batted in. Robinson Cano collected a pair of extra-base hits today, and Leonys Martin clubbed his first homer of the spring. Nelson Cruz began the spring in an 0 for 17 slump, but he snapped that streak with a single in the fifth inning during today’s victory.

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Looking ahead, the Seattle Mariners (8-8) will travel to Mesa, AZ on Thursday to take on the Oakland Athletics (6-6). First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 pm from Hohokam Park. James Paxton (1-1, 4.00 ERA) will get another opportunity to impress the M’s coaches as he fights for the final spot in the Mariners rotation. Kendall Graveman (0-1, 7.20 ERA) will get the ball for the A’s. Unfortunately, tomorrow’s game will not be televised, but fans in the Pacific Northwest can listen to the radio broadcast on 710 ESPN.