Top of 1st

Manager Don Wakamatsu  wants to have Ichiro and Chone Figgins play together for the next three days. He likes the idea them being in the lineup in spring games so they get used to each other.

Ichiro doubles down the line off of Lincecum on a 1-0 pitch to start off the game. And Figgins draws a walk – I will be typing that often. And here’s where the Mariners could be an interesting team. Withone out and the count 2-2 on Jose Loopez, Ichiro and Figgins pull off a double steal as Lopez strikes out. Yes they were looking to avoid the double play, but the tandem got such a good jump that  Giants catcher Bengie Molina doesn’t even make a throw.   So now the Mariners have two runners in scoring position instead of one, which proves to be big as Ryan Garko dumps a single into center allowing two runs to score instead of one. This is how the Mariners are going to win games – picking up extra bases to steal an extra run.

Mariners lead 1-0.

Bottom of 1st

Ian Snell gets the start for Seattle on the mound.  He gives up a looping single to left to Aaron Rowand that Eric Byrnes made a diving attempt for but couldn’t quite come up with to start the game. But Rowand is quickly  back on the bench when he is cut down on  a steal attempt by Adam Moore by about two steps. It wasn’t even close. It was so bad some people wonder if it was a botched hit and run. Either way, Moore looked solid getting rid of the ball.  Snell then struck out Edgar Renteria and Ichiro Suzuki made a tough sliding catch on a Pablo Sandoval liner to right.

Top of 2nd

How good is Tim Lincecum’s changeup? Well, he had two strikes on Ryan Langerhans, threw hi ma changeup that bounced six inches in front of the plate, and Langerhans had still committed to his swing so early that he flailed at it helplessly.

The Mariners still managed to get runners on against Lincecum with one out as Adam Moore reaches on an infield hit/really an error on Edgar Renteria, Josh Wilson drew a walk to put runners on first and second. But Lincecum makes a ridiculous semi-behind the back grab of an Ichiro hard grounder up the middle to get an out. Figgins then bounced out to end the inning.

Bottom of 2nd

Chone Figgins makes his first error of the spring  when he mishandled a groundball deep in the grass. Ian Snell then walked Mark DeRosa, but he got out of some trouble by getting Bengie Molina to hit a tailor-made double play ball to Lopez at third. Lopez fielded it cleanly and they turned the 5-4-3 double play before the lumbering Molina was halfway down the baseline. Snell gets out of the inning getting Juan Uribe to fly out to right.

Top of 3rd

Lincecum strikes out Kotchman on a pitch in the dirt — not one of his better at bats. Lopez singles down the line and then gets a “stolen base” on a called third strike on Ryan Garko. The throw beat him but Juan Uribe dropped the one hopper.  I know I’m sometimes hyper-critical of Lopez, but have you seen him run? He takes these short choppy steps like he’s only 4-foot-10, I wonder if anyone has taught him better running form to lengthen his stride.

Eh, oh well.

Lopez later scores on an infield single from Eric Byrnes. Pablo Sandoval pulled Aubrey Huff off the first base bag with his throw, and Lopez tried to sneak home on the play. Huff had him dead at home, as Lopez stopped 10 feet from home. But Huff’s throw bounced away from Molina and Lopez trotted in, while Byrnes advanced to second.

Langerhans singles to left to score Byrnes and that’s it for Lincecum.  Talented prospect Madison Bumgarner has been called in from the bullpen as the M’s lead 4-0

Bumgarner picks off Langerhans to end the inning.

Lincecum’s line: 2 2/3 innings, six hits, four runs, two earned runs, two walks and four strikeouts.  He threw 59 pitches/39 strikes

Bottom of 3rd

I don’t know if Adam Moore is quite ready to be the Mariners every day catcher. But he just picked up a bunt for base hit attempt by Andres Torres with his bare hand, spun around and delivered a seed of a throw to get Torres by three steps. It’s such a difficult play, and he made it look easy.  He may not be the Mariners opening day starting catcher this year, but he will be for certain next year. Ian Snell has looked good, he struck out Aaron Rowand to end the inning.

Top of 4th

Adam Moore works a nice lead-off walk. Josh Wilson follows with a single to right. Then the Giants almost turn a triple play as Ichiro hits a line drive up the middle that Juan Uribe gloves and steps on second and then fires off balance and nearly gets Wilson at first.

Time to go talk to Ian Snell…

Snell’s final line: 3 innings pitched, 1 walk and one hit allowed. He threw 41 pitches with 27 for strikes. He was pretty efficient.

“I am very pleased with the way I pitched today,” he said. “I was real excited because I haven’t pitched in a week and I get real giddy when I have been out for so long. I wanted to get out there.”

Snell wasn’t trying to do anything special with the outing.

“Just attack the hitters, attack the zone and stay down,” he said. “I think I accomplished that. I was spotting my fastball in and out and I accomplished that too. I am getting in something of a groove, working hard and will continue to work hard.”

If you are in the clubhouse, you will see Snell and Cliff Lee talking often. Like several other pitchers in camp, Snell is intrigued by Lee’s work ethic, preparation and pace he pitches with.

Snell watched Lee’s start on Tuesday on his laptop.

“I enjoy watching him pitch,” Snell said. “I just want to feed off his energy.”

He also wants to emulate his efficiency and tempo.

“Yeah, get out there and don’t let them breathe. Suffocate them,” Snell said. “When they put their foot in the box, you are all ready to go. You have to show them you mean business. Cliff Lee said the same thing. It has become a routine. They are on me 24-7 about that.”

Now back to the game….

Bottom of 6th

Young shortstop Nick Franklin robs Edgar Renteria of a hit, making a brilliant diving grab of a low line drive.  But Brandon League isn’t very sharp. He’s had runners on first and third and then gave up an “infield single” that allowed the run to score. Basically it was a swinging bunt from Mark DeRosa that Moore made a nice play and delivered an off balance throw that beat DeRosa, but that Mike Carp dropped.

Bottom of 7th

Shawn Kelley is in to pitch for the Mariners. He went through it 1-2-3 with little trouble.

Top of 8th

The Mariners go down in order as Michael Saunders and Dustin Ackley both pop up in the infield and some other guy — I’ve lost track — flew out to left.

Bottom of 8th

Kelley looks strong working another 1-2-3 inning.

Mariners

Ichiro RF

Chone Figgins 2B

Casey Kotchman 1B

Jose Lopez 3B

Ryan Garko DH

Eric  Byrnes LF

Ryan Langerhans CF

Adam Moore C

Josh Wilson SS

———-

RHP Ian Snell

Also scheduled to pitch are Shawn Kelley, Jesus Colome, Mike Koplove, Brandon League, Mark Lowe and Dan Cortes.

Giants

Aaron Rowand         CF

Edgar Renteria       SS

Pablo Sandoval  3B

Aubrey Huff   1B

Mark DeRosa          LF

Bengie Molina        C

Juan Uribe           2B

Fred Lewis (L)       DH

Andres Torres (S)    RF

—————————–

55  Tim Lincecum         RHP