Monday, March 9
Seattle 1 at Arizona 2
Salt River Field at Talking Stick
Temp: 75 at 1:10 first pitch
DBacks Walk-Off with Texas Leaguer
One look at the starting line-ups screamed pitching duel. Starters Zac Gallen and Brian Woo took it from there. Gallen went nine-up, nine-down, striking out three along the way. Woo went an extra inning, pitching four complete while giving up three hits and the game’s first run when clean-up hitter Pavin Smith singled home Jorge Barrosa, who opened the bottom of the fourth with a long double into the right field corner. Woo struck out four.
The Mariners got that run back in a busy top of the fifth when Andrew Hoffman relieved Juan Morillo on the mound. Victor Robles sent Barrosa to the warning track in center for the first out. Connor Joe then rapped a single up the middle. Ryan Bliss drew a walk and Rhylan Thomas singled to left, driving in Joe to tie the game at one.
The two teams traded zeros for the next four innings until the bottom of the ninth when the DBack subs came to the fore. Jean Walters grounded out but Alexander Benua followed with a ringing single to right. Seattle submariner Tyler Cleveland replaced Blas Cantano on the hill. The righthanded Cleveland falls off the mound so violently, he looks to be slinging the ball home from the shortstop position. He struck out Danny Serretti but walked Pedro Catuy, sending Benua to second. Adrian Rodriguez stepped to the plate with two outs and lofted a Texas leaguer to center that barely eluded the glove of the sprinting second baseman Leo Rivas for the walk-off win.
Ballpark Buzz … Gallen looked sharp, hitting 95 mph. Juan Morillo looked impressive in an inning of work, allowing one hit, striking out two and topping out at 98. Connor Joe is heating up. It was his third 2-for-3 game in the past four. He’s 6-for-11 in that stretch … The weather was superbly comfortable, sunshine and the odd cloud with the mercury inching from 75 to 79 over the course of the game. Attendance: 11,944. … My drink of choice today: a Papago Orange Blossom-Mountain Dew DYI shanty.
David Belisle 