The Seattle Mariners vs. Kansas City Royals recap from Wednesday (March 13) includes a nice start from Hisashi Iwakuma. He didn't pick up the win, but Iwakuma was able to extend himself four innings, giving up two runs in the process. After holding the Royals scoreless over the first three innings, Iwakuma would give up both runs in a tough fourth inning.
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In four Spring Training appearances now, Iwakuma has given up just three runs on seven hits over 10 innings. He hasn't walked a batter and has also posted four strikeouts over three starts. The numbers get better than that, as Iwakuma has a 2.70 ERA, a 0.70 WHIP, and opponents are hitting just .200 against him. Those are stats that the Mariners would love to see duplicated in the regular season.
Danny Hultzen pitched one inning of scoreless relief and Stephen Pryor struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth inning. This was Hultzen's first appearance since being shut down to deal with a slight hip injury and he looked to be in control once again. In three spring games he has still yet to give up a run. Pryor also looked better as he tries to become one of the mains setup guys for the upcoming season.
The offense wasn't really there for the Mariners against the Royals as the team managed just two runs on four hits. Carlos Triunfel hit his first home run of Spring Training, Kyle Seager went 2-for-4 from the No. 2 spot in the lineup, and Jason Bay went 0-for-3 in his second game as the leadoff hitter.
This was a tough loss for the Mariners, but they are right back in action on Thursday (March 14) against the Cincinnati Reds. Joe Saunders will be getting the start as he looks to clean up his pitching and secure a spot in the starting rotation for the Seattle Mariners this season.
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More Seattle Mariners News:
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