Mariners beat Padres 3-2 In a Real”ish” Baseball Game

Mariners baseball is back!

Not only did today mark the official return of baseball, but also the first game in the Peoria Sports Complex’s 25th year as well. In it, the annual “Vedder Cup” battle between roommates: our beloved Seattle Mariners versus the young up-and-coming San Diego Padres.

The Mariners’ bats got off to a hot start against Padres pitcher Brett Kennedy. Dee Gordon struck first with a lead-off double in his first Mariners at-bat. Jean Segura followed up with a base knock that pushed Gordon to third base, who then scored on an errant pick-off move by Kennedy. Kyle Seager furthered the damage with a RBI double into the gap.

Segura later went on to add a RBI sacrifice fly to his stat line, scoring Andrew Romine after his lead-off double in the second inning.

The highlight of today’s game, however, came defensively in the first inning when Mariners left fielder Ben Gamel and his luscious locks made a spectacular diving grab to rob Jose Pirela of a line-drive single:

On the mound, Ariel Miranda got the nod for the Mariners today. Miranda struggled with his command early and could never seem to find a great feel for his pitches. The 29-year-old ended his two-inning performance giving up one earned run on two hits, two walks, and one strikeout.

Former Mariners reliever Tom Wilhelmsen entered the game for the Padres in the third inning. Forcing Dan Vogelbach into a double play, ‘The Bartender’ blanked the Mariners in his one inning of work.

Andrew Moore fared well in his appearance for the Mariners. In the third he struck out Travis Jankowski looking and grounded Pirela into a double play. Moore would eventually tally another two strikeouts in the fourth, ending his day with a total of three Ks, one walk, and one hit batter.

For Moore, that stat line will take $90 out of his pocket for a great cause:

Despite the initial fireworks, hitting was not a factor for most of the game on both sides until Padres prospect Fernando Tatis, Jr. hit a solo home run off Shawn Armstrong in the eighth inning. Before that, James ‘The Mustache’ Pazos and Christian Bergman held the Padres in check from the fifth to the seventh. In the ninth, Dan Altavilla was able to get the save with three strikeouts and the Mariners notched their first win of the Spring by a score of 3-2.

Next: Who Helps the Mariners More: Lance Lynn or Alex Cobb?

Tomorrow the Mariners face the Chicago White Sox at 12:10 PM PT on ROOT Sports. Mike Leake will take the bump for the M’s in that game.