PEORIA, Ariz. – Starter Marco Gonzales tossed 3.0 scoreless innings and 1B Daniel Vogelbach hit a 3-run home run as Seattle came from behind to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 on Friday afternoon at Maryvale Baseball Park. The win snapped the Mariners 4-game losing streak as the team improved to 3-5-1 this spring.
1B Daniel Vogelbach hit his first home run of the spring with a 1-out, 3-run blast in the top of the 5th inning that gave the Mariners their first lead of the game at 3-2. The Mariners continued the scoring in the top of the 6th inning as 2B Gordon Beckham led off the inning with a single and scored on a RBI single by CF Braden Bishop. The Mariners recorded 4 runs on 10 hits, including 3 extra-base hits. Vogelbach, Beckham and RF Cameron Perkins each led the team with 2 of the teams 10 hits. Guillermo Heredia made his Cactus League debut, walking as a pinch hitter in the 7th and again in the 9th.
Beckham extended his hitting streak to 6 games, going 2-for-2 with 1 run scored and 1 double. Overall during the streak he is batting .692 (9×13) with 4 runs scored, 2 doubles, 1 home run, 1 RBI, 1 walk and 1 HBP. He leads the Mariners this spring in batting average, hits and runs scored and is tied for the lead in doubles.
After allowing base hits to the first two batters of the game, starter Marco Gonzales retired 9 of the last 10 batters he faced. Overall he allowed only 3 hits while walking 0 and striking out 4. Gonzales has tossed 5.0 scoreless inning in his first two spring starts, allowing only 3 hits while walking 1 and striking out 8. LH Marc Rzepczynski struggled in the bottom of the 4th inning, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits while walking 2 and striking out 1. With one out, he allowed back-to-back singles, followed by back-to-back walks that forced in a run and a sacrifice fly before recording a strikeout to end the inning. RH Dan Altavilla allowed 1 hit and struck out 1 in a scoreless 5th inning. He has allowed only 1 hit and struck out 6 over 3.0 scoreless innings in 3 relief appearances this spring. LH James Pazos tossed a 1-2-3 7th inning, while RH Shawn Armstrong tossed a scoreless 7th and 8th innings. RH Wyatt Mills recorded his first save with a scoreless 9th inning, allowing 1 hit and striking out 3.
The Mariners (3-5-1) return to Cactus League play tomorrow (Saturday, March 3) hosting the Los Angeles Angels at 6:40 PT/5:40 MT at Peoria Stadium. The game will be broadcast in the Seattle area live on 710 ESPN Seattle and the Mariners Radio Network. Right-handed pitcher Rob Whalen is scheduled to start for the Mariners against Angels left-hander Tyler Skaggs.
