Spring Training 2013: Seattle Mariners Beat the Los Angeles Angels 9-8

February 22, 2013; Peoria, AZ, USA; Seattle Mariners third baseman

(66, center) is congratulated by his teammates for scoring on a wild pitch during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

When talking about the recent winning streak of the Seattle Mariners, it’s important to note that what happens during Spring Training may or may not actually translate to the normal season. Not only are the pitchers and batters just getting warmed up after, for many, a long winter break from the ball field, but the training field is smaller than the stadiums that the teams will go back to. That being said, it’s exciting to see the Seattle Mariners win, and win they did in the ninth inning  against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday.

The game did not start off well for the Mariners after Hank Conger, Mike Trout, and Peter Bourjos Score following a homer hit by Conger. At the end of the first inning, pitcher Jeremy Bonderman had allowed three runs. The score was 3-0.

The Angels didn’t score for two innings after that, but the Mariners scored a point per inning. In the second, Justin Smoak scored on an fielding error by first baseman Kole Calhoun. In the bottom of the third, Brendan Ryan hit a home run to left field. The score at the top of the fourth was 3-2.

Then, Seattle’s own didn’t score for two innings while giving up four more runs to the Angels.  Hank Conger scored in the top of the fourth after Kole Calhoun was out on a fly ball. In the top of the fifth, the Angels scored three runs bringing the score up to 7-2.

Not until the bottom of the seventh did the Mariners score again when Alex Liddi hit a home run to left field and brought Mike Jacobs home. The score was 7-4 going into the top of the eighth, and I’m sure that the Angels didn’t expect what was about to happen.

After Kaleb Cowart scored, bringing the score to 8-4, the Angels were probably feeling pretty confident about their situation. However, there was a HUGE upset. The Mariners scored four in this half inning. John Hicks sent a single out to Randlal Grichuck to bring Francisco Martinez home and send Julio Morben to third base. Ronny Paulino also hit a single bringing Morban home. Mike Jacobs, up next, received a wild pitch. This allowed Paulino to get to second base and Hicks to get to third. A second wild pitch allowed Paulino to get to third and brought Hicks home. Next, Jacobs made contact with the ball, and brought Paulino all the way in, to tie up the score.

The game could have gone into extra innings, but in the bottom of the ninth, Julio Morban hit a single to bring Francisco Martinez home with one out. While the Mariners didn’t score any further runs, this was enough to give the Seattle team the 9-8 win.

This win makes the third in a row for the Mariners, and while it’s Spring Training, it appears that they are on a roll. Did you catch the game? What were your impressions?