Mariners on the mound look to be in mid-season form, at least
There are very few certainties in life. Existence itself lends itself to a certain level of chaos that can be frightening and overwhelming in equal measure. So when you discover something dependable and constant, it can feel like stumbling across an oasis in the desert.
In recent times, despite the drought of performance from hitters and lack of enthusiasm from ownership, Mariners’ pitching has felt like one of those oases. Especially in 2024, despite a mediocre hitting corps, every time we turned on a Mariners game, we could be certain that we were going to see some excellent pitching. And even though that it’s still February and just Spring Training, we got the same treat tonight.
Playing the Peoria partnered Padres, the Mariners sent Bryan Woo out to start the game for his first appearance of the Spring. Woo pitched for 1.2 innings and didn’t allow a baserunner during his time on the mound, although Luis Arraez reached on a fielding error when Colt Emerson botched a bouncing ball off the bat of Luis Arraez. Woo sat at ~94.7 on both his sinker and fastball, which is right in line with his 2024 velocities. His sweeper, which he threw 6 times, was consistently clocked at 80 mph, quite a bit slower than the 84 it averaged last year.
It seems like he had either a 2 inning or 20 pitch limit for the day (he was pulled after 21), as the team takes special care of him and slowly starts ramping up his workload during the spring. Pitch count limits were a big talking point for Woo during 2024 as he dealt with injuries during his sophomore season. It will be interesting going forward to see how Dan Wilson utilizes Woo during his first full season as manager.
The M’s sent Luis F. Castillo out to relieve Woo, who gave up the only run the Padres would get all night after Eguy Rosario led off the inning by doubling over Samad Taylor’s head in center. Luis Arraez, who people are trying to tell me is bad actually, then brought him home with a little bloop single to left-center. Castillo the Younger escaped the inning though when he got Fernando Tatis Jr. to ground into a double play on an inside sinker.
That Padres run only tied the game, however, as the Mariners manufactured a run in the top of the second. Catcher Nick Raposo, who the M’s claimed off waivers from Toronto back in December, legged out an infield single with two outs when Rosario at third took just a fraction of a second too long to get rid of the ball. Colt Emerson moved Raposo to 2nd with a walk, and Samad Taylor scored him with a ground ball single that just barely got through the hole up the middle.
Beyond those two runs, the game passed by in a flash as both team’s pitching staff locked in and locked the game down. From Seattle’s perspective highlights include Gabe Speier’s 9 pitch, 3 batter fourth inning where he induced 3 routine flyouts, and Trent Thornton throwing a speeding Rosario at first despite losing his footing mid-throw.
The game continued at a rapid pace, even as the Mariners retook the lead in the top of the seventh. Spencer Packard walked with 1 out and watched from first as Luis Suisbel lined out on the first pitch he saw. Cole Young then stepped into the box, and fought a long 9 pitch battle that eventually ended in him sending a fastball that was just above the strike zone 377 feet away from the dish and over the center fielder’s head. That double scored Packard and the Mariners’ rock-solid pitching, even through to the NRIs, all but secured the win.
Brandyn Garcia let the Padres get close to a run in the bottom of the eighth when a walk, single, and wild pitch put runners on 2nd and 3rd with just one away. But a strikeout and weak flyout ended the inning with no harm done. Sauryn Lao came in for the ninth and wrapped the win up with a bow.
It’s almost refreshing to get a Spring Training game that, were it not for the constant substitutions, could feel like a regular season games. Watching the M’s win a 2-1 game is like putting on an old pair of leather shoes. It just fits. Tonight is perhaps the first time in 2025 that I actually feel like baseball is back for real. And that, dear reader, is the true oasis.