PEORIA, Ariz. – Cincinnati rallied with 4 runs in the top of the 9th inning for a 6-5 comeback win over the Mariners before a crowd of 8,499 on Sunday afternoon at Peoria Stadium. Mike Morin was charged with the loss – his second of the spring
– after surrendering 4 runs on 4 hits and 1 walk and retiring only one batter in the 9th
.
Cincinnati got on the board in the top of the 1st, scoring one run on Scooter Gennett’s RBI-single to center field.
The Mariners evened the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the 2nd as Mike Zunino worked a one-out walk and eventually scoredon Andrew Romine’s two-out single to right field. Seattle tacked on 2 runs in the 3rd as Jean Segura led off with a single
and Danny Muno followed by reaching on a fielding error. Two batters later, Mike Ford drew a walk to set up bases loadedwith two outs for Zunino, who drove a two-run single into left field. The Mariners added a run in the 7th to make it 4-2. Muno
connected for a two-out double and scored on Daniel Vogelbach’s RBI-single to right field.
After the Reds scored four runs in the top of the 9th to take a 6-4 lead, the Mariners battled back in the last of the 9th. Chuck
Taylor singled with one out, and Muno followed with his second double of the afternoon. Evan White then lined a two-out single off the leg of Reds right-hander Dylan Floro. As the ball ricocheted toward 2nd base, Taylor scored but Muno was
thrown out at home by Reds 2nd baseman Brandon Dixon.
Making his 4th start of the spring, Mike Leake worked 4.1 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned run) on 8 hits while striking out 1. Chasen Bradford came on in relief of Leake in the 5th with one on and one out. Bradford allowed the first batter to reach
before retiring the next two batters to keep the Reds off the board in the 5th
. David Phelps allowed hits to each of the first two batters he faced before working out of the jam with a strikeout and an inning-ending double play. Casey Lawrence
tossed 2.0 scoreless innings, allowing 1 hit while striking out 3. Morin allowed 4 runs on 4 hits and retired only one batter in the 9th before giving way to Shawn Armstrong, who retired the only two batters he faced.
Ichiro Suzuki made his 2018 Cactus League debut, batting leadoff and playing left field. He went 0-for-3, striking out twice and lining out to left field.
The Mariners (6-10-1) return to Cactus League action tomorrow (Monday, March 12) hosting the Chicago White Sox at 6:40p.m. at Peoria Stadium. The game will be broadcast live in the Seattle area on 710 ESPN Seattle and the Mariners Radio
Network.
Left-hander Marco Gonzales is slated to start for the Mariners against White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease.
