Leake, Romine Impress In Mariners 5-3 Loss to White Sox

The Mariners were out-baseballed by the White Sox today and that’s okay because it doesn’t count.

Every Spring Training there are games that you simply can’t extract much from. Today was one of those days. Most of the Mariners main lineup rested aside from Dee Gordon. Consequently, the offense didn’t accomplish much at the plate and the Mariners’ participation was, for the majority, uneventful.

The focus of today’s game was on Mike Leake. Coming into camp, Leake is viewed as the “crutch” of the Mariners rotation to eat innings and manage games. Leake required only 29 pitches in his two innings of work today, giving up just one hit. Yes — the M’s pitching staff can do positive things. Who knew?

The Mariners’ three runs all came in the bottom of the fourth inning, assisted by an Andrew Romine two-RBI double. In the first two games of the Spring, Romine has impressed at the plate and should be seen as the front-runner for the utility infielder job. Romine’s opponent in that competition, Taylor Motter, also fared well today with a pair of hits.

Mariners 2017 first-round pick Evan White got some action in today’s game, making a nice pick on a one-hopper:

Dee Gordon finally got an opportunity to catch a few balls at his new position in center field. Dee looked fairly comfortable out there, exhibited by a nice route on a ball near the wall to end the top of the third inning.

Newly acquired reliever Nick Rumbelow entered the game in the ninth inning but had to leave the game with an apparent injury to his throwing hand. Greg Johns later reported that Rumbelow suffered a minor cut on the hand so there should not be a cause for concern.

Tomorrow’s game should go a little differently and provide more intrigue. Not only does Marco Gonzales make his 2018 debut for the Mariners, but some of the M’s mainstay hitters will surely get a chance to loosen their lumber against Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Dave Sims and Mike Blowers will have the call on ROOT Sports at 12:10 in the afternoon.

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

Side note: since you’re probably still salty about Shohei Ohtani’s decision to go to the Angels, here’s a video of him giving up a solo shot to the Brewers’ Keon Broxton: