PEORIA, Ariz. — From the Only At Spring Training Dept. (and the 2002 All-Star Game), the Mariners and Padres played to a 6-6 tie Monday when the two teams ran out of pitching.
Luis Martinezs RBI ground out scored Jeudy Valdez with the tying run in the ninth inning and, after Mariners left-ha
nder Chris Seddon got Kevin Fransden on a grounder for the third out, the teams called it a day after theyd played 10 innings on Sunday.
“We played extra innings yesterday, so nine was enough today with the pitching,” Mariners manager Eric Wedge said.
It was another good day for the Ma
riners young outfielders. One day after Carlos Peguero homered in the ninth inning to tie the score, Greg Halman and Johermyn Chavez hit home runs Monday.
Chavez, who hit 32 home runs last year at Class A High Desert, homered on the first pitch of the ninth inning off Padres right-hander Ernesto Frieri to break a 5-5 tie.
“You love to see a young man go up there ready to hit,” Wedge said. He really got all over that ball. It wasnt a dead pull; he was in the middle of the field and he drove it, and in the late innings as well. You look at Peguero yesterday and Chavez today, you like to see that.
Right-hander David Pauley was the only Mariners pitcher who didnt allow a run. He followed Doug Fister and pitched the third and fourth innings, allowing two hits.
Brandon League and Chris Ray each allowed a walk, a hit and a run in one inning, Garrett Olson allowed two hits and a run in one inning, and Seddon allowed a hit and a run in the ninth after pitching a perfect eighth.
Gutierrez expected to play
Wedge said center fielder Franklin Gutierrez would play today’s game in Peoria against the Texas Rangers. Wedge said he still didn’t know results of tests last week in Seattle on Gutierrez’s stomach, which has given him problems since last season.
“They’re still gathering information and doing their thing,” Wedge said. “But obviously he’s OK. He’s in there tomorrow.”
Single-game tickets
The Mariners will begin selling single-game tickets at 10 a.m. March 12 at the Safeco Field box office (where there’s not a service charge), www.mariners.com and the Mariners Team Stores (which include an outlet at Alderwood Mall).
Tickets to the home opener April 8, along with tickets to the center field and left-field bleachers for all games this season, are limited to 12 per person per game.
Fans who subscribe to Mariners Mail can buy tickets during an online-only presale that begins at noon March 10. New subscribers can sign up for Mariners Mail through March 4 at www.mariners.com.
Fans choosing to buy tickets at the team stores will be given numbered tickets beginning at 6:30 a.m. on March 12. Lines will form according to the numerical order and customers will be assisted in that order when the sales begin at 10 a.m. While fans with numbered tickets will have their place held in line, those who return after 9:30 a.m. will be asked to go to the back of the line.
Tickets for the three-game series June 24-26 against the Florida Marlins won’t be available until early April. Those games were moved to Safeco Field because the Marlins stadium will be used for a U-2 concert that week.
Today in camp
The Mariners play the Texas Rangers at 12:05 p.m. (PST) in Peoria (no radio broadcast). Left-hander Nate Robertson will start for the Mariners, with right-handers Blake Beavan, Josh Lueke, Dan Cortes and Tom Wilhelmsen, and left-hander Royce Ring also on their pitching list.
Of note
Wedge said starting pitchers Felix Hernandez and Jason Vargas, both being eased along early at spring training to lessen their workload, will pitch simulated games later this week. Brendan Ryan played his first exhibition for the Mariners, starting at shortstop and making a nice play deep in the hole in the second inning on a sharp grounder by former Everett Community College star Aaron Cunningham. Wedge said he still planned to play both Ryan and Jack Wilson at second base as the Mariners get deeper into the exhibition schedule. As we get into it, well start bouncing people around a little bit, he said. Looking ahead, highly regarded pitching prospect Michael Pineda will make his first exhibition start Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Read Kirby Arnolds blog on the Mariners at www.heraldnet.com/marinersblog and follow his Twitter updates on the team at @kirbyarnold.
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