Mariners score 12 unanswered to beat Reds 14-8 – Redleg Nation

Spring training games can be wild affairs and that was the case on Sunday in Goodyear, Arizona, between the Cincinnati Reds and the Seattle Mariners. The Reds built an 8-2 lead only to see if it evaporated and the Mariners simply battered Cincinnati’s bullpen by scoring 12 runs after the 4th inning, earning a come-from-behind victory.

The highlights

Seattle scored a run in the first inning to take a 1–0 lead. The Reds took the lead from them in the 2nd when they had six straight 1-out hits, including RBI doubles from JJ Bleday and Matt McLain as part of a 5-run rally.

Two innings later, the Reds would extend their lead when they got three singles from Bleday, Rece Hinds and Matt McLain before Elly De La Cruz nailed an inning-capping 2-run double that made it 8-2. De La Cruz hit his double at 112.5 mph – which somehow was only the third hardest hit ball of the game.

From there it was all Seattle. The Mariners would score three runs in the 5th, two runs in the 7th, a run in the 8th to tie the game, and then they scored six runs in the 9th inning to bury the Reds.

You can view the box score for this game here.

News and notes

The challenge system was widely used today and reportedly uses more energy than the proposed data center coming to your neighborhood soon. Nine calls were challenged during this competition. Six calls were overturned because the referee had a rough day. It’s spring training for all of us.

Matt McLain (2-3, 2B, 2 RBI), Elly De La Cruz (2-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI, JJ Bleday (2-3, 2B, 2 RBI) and Rece Hinds (2-2, 2 runs) all had multi-hit days.

Cincinnati’s non-starters had one goal on the day, going a combined 1-14. Michael Chavis had the lone hit of the group, picking up a line drive single in the 6th inning.

Relievers Nick Sando, Graham Ashcraft and Tejay Antone all pitched a shutout inning during the game.

Reds pitchers walked 10 batters. Reds hitters walked zero times. Connor Phillips walked three batters in 0.2 innings. Zach Maxwell walked four batters in 0.2 innings.

In a game that saw 22 runs scored, only one home run was hit and that didn’t come until the 9th inning.

Your daily reminder that all that matters right now is that everyone made it through the game healthy. And it looks like they did.

Tomorrow is a bad day for the Reds in terms of playing games. They’ll be back on the field on Tuesday to take on the Kansas City Royals. Andrew Abbott makes his first start of the spring in this race.