Padres 27, Mariners 6 at Peoria Sports Complex
PEORIA, Ariz. — When Padres right fielder Nick Schnell carefully corralled the fly ball off the bat of Mariners prospect Axel Sanchez — a routine play on most days, but not on Thursday — Seattle’s hopes of putting together that 23-run rally in the bottom of the ninth ended at 27-6.
Yes, the Mariners really trailed by 22 runs going into the bottom of the ninth inning.
The 27 runs were the most scored by a team in the Cactus League since MLB started tracking games 20 years ago. The Cardinals scored 29 runs in a Grapefruit League game on March 20, 2022.
The score was so lopsided that manager Dan Wilson couldn’t even say that his team “battled” or “fought.”
“That was one for the ages,” Wilson said without much humor in his voice.
While it is a meaningless spring training game, there is a standard of play and execution that he expects his team — regardless of who is in the lineup.
How did it all go so wrong?
Well, it started with a blustery day in Arizona. The wind, which ranged from 20-27 mph, made it miserable for fielders trying to judge pop flies. They already had to deal with a nasty sun, but the wind made it untenable at times. It was also blowing directly out to center field, giving fly balls plenty of carry.
“Obviously the wind (played) a factor today for both sides,” Wilson said. “It cost us a lot of base runners, extra outs and a lot of extra hitters, and they were able to take advantage of it.”
The top of the first was the only inning that the Padres didn’t score at least one run. Though they probably should have at least one. Seattle starter Luis Castillo worked a scoreless frame but wouldn’t finish what turned out to be an interminable 12-run second inning. He retired Miguel Andujar for a quick first out, but wouldn’t get a second out.
Sung-Mun Song ambushed a first-pitch fastball, sending a fly ball over the bullpen in right field for a solo homer — his first of the spring.
It started to snowball from there. Former Mariner Ty France hit a fly ball to left field that Spencer Packard struggled to track in the sun. When he did find it, the ball had carried over his head and bounced off the wall for a double. France scored moments later when Freddy Fermin lashed a double to right-center for a 2-0 lead. Castillo then walked Jake Cronenworth.
It looked like the Mariners would get out of the inning with a double play, or at least get a second out when Jackson Merrill hit a ground ball to the right side. But second baseman Ryan Bliss misplayed the ball, loading the bases. Ramon Laureano made it 4-0 with a bloop single to right field. The well-placed ball had a 69-mph exit velocity and traveled 233 feet.
With Castillo at 39 pitches, Wilson opted to go to his bullpen, bringing in sidearm pitcher Tyler Cleveland to try and quell the rally. Instead, it kept going.
Gavin Sheets hit a low liner to center field that Rhylan Thomas struggled to judge, making an awkward, sliding attempt that failed. A run scored on the play, making it 5-0.
Nick Castellanos followed with a single on a high fly ball to left field. Packard ran toward the left-field corner like it was possibly going to go foul. Except the wind blew it back toward the field. He overran the ball and couldn’t correct his mistake while trying to make the catch. The ball landed just inside the foul line. Since the runners expected it to be caught, they could only move up a base, loading the bases.
Cleveland walked Andujar to force a run across, making it 6-0.
It looked like the second out might come when France lofted a fly ball off the end of the bat to right field. Seeing the weak contact, Luke Raley charged in hard, only to realize that the wind was carrying the ball deeper than expected. He backpedaled in hopes of catching it, but the ball was just out of his reach.
France was credited with a two-run “double” as the Padres’ lead pushed to 8-0.
With the bases loaded again, Cleveland came back to strike out Song for the second out of the inning. Fermin pushed the lead to 10-0, lacing a one-hop single past a diving Colt Emerson.
With Cleveland at 26 pitches, Wilson had to go to his bullpen again. Right-hander Stefan Raeth, who was called up from minor-league camp for the game, was making his first appearance of the spring. Cronenworth welcomed him with a two-run homer to left-center to make it 12-0. Raeth gave up a single to Merrill and a double to Laureano, but managed to not allow another run.
The crowd of 7,123 let out a loud cheer when the final out of the inning was made, many of them rising to give a sarcastic standing ovation.
The Padres had scored 12 runs in the inning with the Mariners giving them at least three outs, if not more, on failed plays.
Seattle did answer with two runs in the bottom of the second.
But the run-scoring rout by the Padres continued. They scored five runs in third off reliever Alex Hoppe. With two outs, Fermin hit a three-run homer to left-center and Merrill scorched a two-run homer high off the batter’s eye in dead center.
The lead continued to balloon and the Padres’ total continued to bloom.
The Padres’ first four hitters — Cronenworth, Merrill, Laureano and Sheets — all had four plate appearances in the first three innings, combining to go 9 for 15 with seven runs scored and seven RBI.
San Diego finished with 27 hits, including nine doubles and eight homers while going 10 for 26 with runners in scoring position while still leaving nine runners on base.
The Mariners scored six runs on nine hits with Patrick Wisdom, Rob Refsnyder, Jared Sundstrom and Carson Taylor all hitting homers. The Mariners were 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base. Seattle used nine pitchers in the game, combining to throw 218 pitches.
On Tap
The Mariners will travel to Surprise Stadium to face the Texas Rangers on Friday afternoon. Left-hander Kade Anderson will make his second start of the spring for the Mariners. Also scheduled to pitch for Seattle are right-handers Emerson Hancock, Michael Rucker, Cole Wilcox, Casey Legumina and Domingo Gonzalez and lefty Robinson Ortiz. First pitch is set for 12:05 p.m. PT. The game will not be televised. A live radio broadcast will be available on Mariners.com and the MLB app.