SEATTLE MARINERS

Mariners pitching continues to look good as the Mariners win their 5th straight

Mar 8, 2012, 3:59 PM | Updated: Mar 9, 2012, 9:28 am

By Shannon Drayer

Earlier today the Mariners played a B game against the Rockies in Scottsdale. This game did not have the Hultzen/Paxton/Walker star power of the first B game but Hector Noesi who is all but a lock for the rotation did pitch. He threw 54 pitches in 3 innings allowing 1 run on 2 hits, 3 strikeouts, and 2 walks.

Other highlights included Steve Delabar striking out all 3 batters he faced, Trayvon Robinson with a home run and 3 rbi, John Jaso and Brad Miller going 2-3 and unless it was a typo in the notes, DH Luis Jimenez hit a triple. That I am sorry I missed.

Most of the rest of the team, minus Ichiro who I suspect does not have greys in his locker, traveled to Mesa to take on the Cubs. The M’s were not able to do damage against starter Chris Volstad or Kerry Wood but broke through in the fifth inning scoring 4, 3 of which came on a Dustin Ackley home run on a 3-2 count off of Carlos Marmol. In all the Mariners put up 14 hits on the way to a 10-3 win to improve to 6-1 in Cactus League play.

Kevin Millwood took the hill looking to earn a spot in the starting five. He gave up 1 run on 4 hits, three of which came in the second inning where he was getting the early contact he wanted, but for hits and not groundouts.

“The balls that they hit early in the count I left up,” he said in the clubhouse after his outing. “In the 3rd I got the ball down a little bit better. Two first pitch ground outs on fastballs that were down in the zone, that is what I am looking for keep the ball down, get the guys to swing early and get quick outs.”

Millwood gave up his lone run on a 1-0 pitch which he said he left up that Alfonso Soriano hit out. Despite the run, Eric Wedge liked what he saw from the veteran.

“He’s been progressing consistently,” he noted. “I felt like he threw the ball good today. He had a lot of action on his pitches in the 3rd inning and I liked his breaking ball, always have. it was a good day for him.”

Brandon League, Tom Wilhelmsen and Shawn Kelley also pitched today with only Wilhelmsen, who went two innings, giving up runs, unearned at that.

On the offensive side of things Dustin Ackley put up a great at bat against Carlos Marmol that ended in a home run to right.

“That was a heck of an at bat,” said Wedge. “He threw him just about everything he could and he kept fouling off. He got what looked like a slider that was a little bit up and he knocked it out.”

Wedge was not able to provide any information about how long Adam Moore is expected to miss after discovering he had broken a bone in his wrist in Tuesday’s game. He did say that Moore would miss the spring at the very least which was expected but sounded optimistic that the injury would not keep him out for too long.

“Its tough for the kid he is going to have to keep his chin up and fight through it again,” he said. “He has had some tough luck the last couple of year but I do think we will see him sooner rather than later though.”

We should learn more tomorrow.

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