Mariners Edge Out Reds 7-6: Game Notes and Scouting Takeaways

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The best team in the Cactus League kept it rolling on Sunday, as the Mariners took down the Reds 7-6 at Goodyear Ballpark.

This is the fourth of a six-part scouting series. After this Mariners/Reds game, I will be wrapping up this series with coverage of the following games: COL@TEX (3/27) and LAD@SEA (3/29). You can find my recap and scouting report of Thursday’s Dodgers/Rangers game here, Friday’s Athletics/White Sox game here, and Saturday’s White Sox/Indians game here. Follow me on Twitter @JoePiazza_ for live game updates!

Some high-scoring games are fast-paced, but this one was not. Rather, Sunday was a busy day at Goodyear Ballpark for the bullpens. The Mariners and Reds used 11 different relievers in the game, surrendering a total of 18 hits and nine walks. This didn’t take away much from the action though, as the lead changed five times in Sunday’s contest.

Cincinnati took the initial lead of the game, with Jose Peraza hitting a laser beam to left field for a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first. From there, the runs just kept on coming. The third, sixth and seventh innings were the only scoreless moments of the day. The Reds scored in five separate innings, and the Mariners in four. In addition to Peraza, Desmond Jennings, pitcher Rookie Davis and Chad Wallach went deep for Cincinnati. Shortstop Taylor Motter hit a two-run shot for the Mariners, and was really their top offensive performer. Danny Valencia nearly had himself a home run, but left fielder Adam Duvall had other ideas.

What a play! Adam Duvall reaches over the wall to rob Valencia of a homer to left, preserves the @Reds lead 3-2 Bot 3rd
— Joe Piazza (@Joepiazza_) March 26, 2017

This game could have had a completely different outcome if not for the defensive miscues of the Reds’ third baseman. Career AAA infielder Hernan Iribarren committed two throwing errors on Sunday, both of which led to unearned runs scoring for Seattle. Luckily for starter Rookie Davis, the Reds will be deploying the slick-fielding Eugenio Suarez at the hot corner during the regular season.

The Mariners scored two runs in the eighth to regain the lead 7-5, and handed James Pazos closer’s duties in the ninth. Chad Wallach made things interesting in the ninth, hitting a solo shot to narrow Seattle’s lead to 7-6. Pazos recovered smoothly to finish the inning without any more damage, and the ballgame was over. Mariners 7, Reds 6.

Mariners Batting

The Mariners scored seven runs on Sunday, but they only deserved five of them. It was definitely a “share the wealth” kind of day, as Taylor Motter was the only Mariner to record multiple hits. Motter collected two hits in four at bats, adding an eighth-inning double to his tater in the second. Seven other players hit safely for Seattle in this one. Most notably of those seven were doubles by Mitch Haniger, Carlos Ruiz and Kyle Seager.

Out of everyone in the Mariners starting lineup, only Leonys Martin and Guillermo Heredia failed to get a hit. Martin took a couple big swings, but came up empty against Davis & co. If anything, it’s Heredia’s approach in particular that seemed a bit alarming. Despite being tied for the second-most RBI on the team with 10, there is at least one clear issue with his batting stance. He was leaning so far in toward home plate that he’d lose his balance and stumble into the opposing batter’s box on almost every pitch.

Guillermo Heredia leaning forward quite a bit in the box, almost losing balance every pitch
— Joe Piazza (@Joepiazza_) March 26, 2017

For all the damage they did, Seattle’s lineup could only hit against starter Rookie Davis and reliever Lucas Benenati. All nine of their hits came off these two pitchers, meaning there were four Reds relievers to completely shut down the offense. They’ve got a strong lineup on paper, but so far the Mariners have been streaky. When they can hit a guy, they seem to hit him really well. However, when they can’t, the whole team is shut down. Notable absences for Seattle in Sunday’s game included Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz, who are both sick with head colds.

Reds Batting

Most of the runs came early for Cincinnati. The Reds scored five of their six runs before recording an out in the fifth inning, with three of them coming by way of the long ball. Basically, Drew Smyly wasn’t fooling them one bit. Jose Peraza opened up the floodgates in the first on a leadoff homer, while Desmond Jennings and Rookie Davis were not far behind. Jennings started the second the same way Peraza did the first, launching a solo homer to left. This tied things up at two, but pitcher Rookie Davis wasn’t satisfied. Davis turned on a first-pitch fastball to give himself (and his team) the lead 3-2 in the second.

Fast forward to the ninth, and the Reds are down 7-5. Mid-game replacement Chad Wallach steps up to the plate, and drives one over the wall in right to make it a one-run game. There were still none out in the inning, but it would turn out to be the only run scored in the frame.

Chad Wallach goes deep to right to bring @Reds within one run of @mariners, 7-6 bottom 9
— Joe Piazza (@Joepiazza_) March 26, 2017

There’s really little question that Jose Peraza was the Reds’ top performer in this game. In three at bats, Peraza collected two hits, scoring two runs along the way. Not only did he drive himself in on the leadoff dinger, but he singled and came around to score on a Zack Cozart double in the fourth. If not for how he set the pace of this game, the lineup as a whole may not have had the same success at the plate Sunday.

Mariners Pitching

While the Mariners left the ballpark on Sunday with a win, it wasn’t thanks to starter Drew Smyly. In four long innings of work, Smyly allowed five earned runs. He gave up four walks, six hits and struck out only one batter. Any time the opposition hits three home runs off of you in the first four innings, something isn’t right. Smyly was having major location issues, either completely missing the strike zone or leaving the ball over the middle of the plate. If the Mariners are going to win the games he pitches, it’ll likely be in high-scoring affairs.

Relievers

In contrast to the starter, Seattle’s bullpen was looking pretty sharp. Four relievers combined to pitch four scoreless innings, doing their job to keep the Mariners in the game. Of the seven pitchers to appear in Sunday’s game for the Mariners, closer Edwin Diaz was the sharpest. He only pitched one inning, but he was the only Mariner to strike out more than one batter. Though Diaz outperformed the rest, Tony Zych, Nick Vincent, Marc Rzepczynski and Evan Scribner also made scoreless relief appearances.

James Pazos was tasked with sealing the victory for Seattle, and nearly blew it. The solo home run surrendered to Wallach may have worried manager Scott Servais a tad, but Pazos quickly recovered to end the threat in the ninth. It’s doubtful that Pazos will see any significant playing time in 2017, as the playoff-determined Mariners would likely prefer to go with a more known commodity.

Kareem Elgazzar/Cincinnati Enquirer via USA TODAY NETWORK /

Reds Pitching

Sunday’s game actually wasn’t so bad for starter Rookie Davis. Nobody is wowed by the three earned runs he allowed in 4.2 innings, but the seven strikeouts were sure impressive. Neither starter got a decision in this game, but Davis outpitched Smyly by a mile. There’s no getting around the home run surrendered to Taylor Motter, but Davis had to pitch with the extra weight of two runs that weren’t his fault. The errors by Iribarren cost the Reds two runs, and almost certainly played a part in Davis being pulled from the game when he was.

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Next: White Sox Beat Indians 10-7

Relievers

Excluding Lucas Benenati, the Reds bullpen was very effective in this one. The combination of Blake Wood, Drew Storen, Tony Cingrani and Nolan Becker put together 3.1 scoreless innings. There were also two strikeouts from the bullpen corps, both coming courtesy of Cingrani in the seventh. To be completely fair to Benenati, this was his first Spring Training appearance. Ever. In fact, he’s only got 35 professional innings to his name. The 23-year-old was a 10th-rounder for Cincinnati in the 2016 draft, so it’s impressive that he even got a Spring Training invite.

For a rebuilding club like the Reds, Sunday’s performances by Davis and Cingrani were reassuring. No matter how ugly the next couple of years get in Cincy, at least there’s a pair of pitchers on staff than can get the strikeout when they need it. Benenati will probably spend the next season or two in the minors, at least. So basically, five earned runs allowed per game is about what you can expect from the Reds in their current status.

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