Mariners and Padres match offense for offense, resulting in 5-5 tie
By Charles Hamaker
Peoria, AZ – In the second to last game of the 2023 Spring Training, the Seattle Mariners were the away team when they faced off against the San Diego Padres inside of the Peoria Sports Complex. The two teams share the ballpark that’s located next to both of their facilities, and in today’s game the Mariners were viewed as the away team. Seattle started the game off with a run in the top of the first courtesy of an RBI single by Tesocar Hernandez to easily score Julio Rodriguez from second base, and both teams swapped runs after that. A fifth inning that saw both teams combine for five runs set the tone for a game that ended in a score of 5-5, as both teams settled for a draw and the Mariners secured a winning record this Spring.
Seattle center fielder Julio Rodriguez represented the first run of the game (Photo by Liv Lyons)
Logan Gilbert hits bump, but keeps going
Seattle starter Logan Gilbert finished up his Spring with a four inning start, looking to improve his arsenal in addition to his overpowering fastball. The critic around Gilbert, nicknamed “Walter” for his alter ego when he’s pitching, has been that he needs to develop an off-speed pitch that can complement his fastball or just improve his arsenal otherwise. Replacing his changeup that he hardly ever used and had rendered little to no results; Gilbert has been developing a split-finger fastball that he says is still developing but has looked good this Spring. Logan was solid again in today’s outing, only allowing two hits in his outing. It was a solid performance, the only issue being the two-run homer to Trent Grisham that Gilbert allowed.
Prospects push through
There were two notable instances when Seattle minor-leaguers/prospects made an impact on this game and its result, and it’s fun to see considering that many have written the Mariners farm system off after the trade to acquire Luis Castillo. While they aren’t players that command a ton of attention or get a bunch of praise, Gabriel Gonzalez and Alberto Rodriguez had two key plays that were highlights for Seattle.
Alberto Rodriguez, a 22-year-old outfielder from the Dominican Republic, gunned down a runner at the plate from right field to prevent San Diego from extending their lead any further. Padres center fielder Trent Grisham slapped a single to score a run, following his two-homers earlier in the season, and nearly scored another. San Diego’s Preston Tucker rounded third and headed for home, but the throw by Alberto was in perfect time and Cal Raleigh was able to apply the tag without trouble. Gabriel Gonzales, a 19-year-old Venezuelan outfielder, doubled in the seventh inning to tie the game at five runs each, a score that wouldn’t change.
Quick notes
Attendance from today’s game was 11,905 at the Peoria Sports Complex, which is a sellout.
Time of game for this battle between the Mariners and Padres was two hours and 34 minutes.
What’s next?
Mariners Spring Training will conclude tomorrow, Monday, March 27th when the team faces off against the San Diego Padres for the second time in as many days. Seattle, as the home team this time, will wrap things up and likely finalize their opening day roster or get close to it following the conclusion of Monday’s result. It will be the sixth and final game day of the Circling Seattle Sports and Converge Media trip, and the second to last day overall. It’s a big day, as CSS on Converge will drop as well and the Kraken take on the Minnesota Wild at 5PM PST.
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