Final score: A’s 8, Mariners 2

If you’ve been keeping tabs on the Big Four — pitching prospects Danny Hultzen, James Paxton, Taijuan Walker, and Brandon Maurer — the Mariners, Rainiers, and Generals have something very special in store for you today.

While Maurer took the mound for the M’s in his major league debut, Hultzen and Walker are penciled into the lineups for the Rainiers and Generals, respectively. Here’s hoping that the two MiLB starters can avoid the first-game jitters Maurer exhibited today.

Highlights:

• Michael Morse continued his home-run hitting trend, going deep against Oakland starter A.J. Griffin. He currently leads MLB with four homers in as many games — an insignificant statistic, to be sure, but a satisfying one nonetheless.
• Kelly Shoppach gave Jesus Montero a bit of a break behind the dish today. In his first game of the season, he went 2-for-3 with two base hits and a walk.
• Gene Maurer, Brandon’s father, had some sweet words following his son’s first MLB outing: “To see him out there on the mound, it just brings chills… it gives me chills to see him out there with his whole family. [...] I just want to thank Seattle for giving him the opportunity to get up here and realize his dream.”

Lowlights:

• Unfortunately for most Mariners fans, the chills felt during Maurer’s debut were not excited ones. The 22-year-old right-hander finished with eight hits, six earned runs, two home runs, and a single strikeout in his 6.0 IP. The good news? He set down eight A’s in a row and managed enough control to withhold walks. The bad news? Oakland’s lineup figured him out just a bit quicker than he did.
• The M’s bullpen dug itself into another hole this afternoon. Following a sharp performance from Oliver Perez — no hits, runs, or walks allowed in an inning of relief — the A’s picked up two hits, two sacrifice flies, and an intentional walk from lefty Lucas Luetge.

Tweet of the game:

Next game: vs. White Sox | April 5 | 5:10pm

Final score: A’s 6, Mariners 2

Tonight, the Mariners lost a baseball game.

This doesn’t mean their ride to the 2013 World Series is over, but it’s not looking good. Sure, they’re tied with Texas for first place in the AL West, but the Angels are rapidly gaining ground with just half a game’s difference between them. For that matter, the A’s and Astros are crafting their own comebacks, solidified by the 6-2 pummeling in Oakland tonight.

Yes, these are dark times. Hang onto your rally caps — this will be a bumpy, 159-game ride.

Highlights:

• Michael Morse is determined to live up to his Twitter handle. He went yard for the third time this season, following Franklin Gutierrez’s leadoff solo shot for an early lead. Unfortunately, those were the only runs Oakland allowed all night, holding the Mariners scoreless in the remaining eight innings.
• Brendan Ryan’s defense appears to be in midseason form already. On a cutoff throw from Jason Bay, Ryan fired a shot home to nab Nate Freiman and preserve the M’s one-run lead.
• Speaking of defense, Jesus Montero caught two runners at the plate tonight. On the other side of the plate, he went 2-for-4 with a pair of base hits — his first multi-hit game without an RBI since September 22, 2012.

Lowlights:

• Joe Saunders debuted for the Mariners, giving us a breather from the dominant performances of Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma. His final line: 7 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO in 4.0 IP.
• By contrast, LHP Tommy Milone set down ten batters in a row and finished with just four hits, two earned runs, a walk, and four strikeouts over 7.0 IP.
• Seattle’s pitching woes continued with Kameron Loe and Charlie Furbush. Loe buried the Mariners’ hopes of a comeback, surrendering four hits and two home runs in his three inning outing. Furbush plunked Josh Reddick on the back in the 8th, prompting the cameras to pan to a young fan holding a “That’s Reddick-ulous” sign in the stands. As Reddick converted the HBP into a stolen base, then advanced to third on a wild pitch, the pun may have been worse than the plunking.

Tweet of the game:

Next game: vs. A’s | April 4 | 12:35 pm

Final score: Mariners 7, A’s 1

Welcome to Seattle, Michael Morse.

This is the fun of early season ball. A two-homer performance, a 7-1 win over the A’s, and a bases-loaded walk from Justin Smoak may not mean much in the grand scheme of things, but it sure makes for enjoyable baseball.

Highlights:

• Forget what I said yesterday about the Mariners spoiling their fans only every fifth day. Following the King’s season debut, Hisashi Iwakuma shut down the A’s with another strong performance. He finished with two hits, an earned run, a walk, and seven strikeouts in six innings — retiring his last 11 batters and setting down four consecutive scoreless innings.
• After leading the 2013 Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues with nine home runs, Michael Morse ripped his first regular season homer tonight, a three-run shot off of Oakland’s RHP Jarrod Parker. Unsatisfied with a 5-run lead in the 9th, he did it again, driving another home run to center field off of closer Grant Balfour.
• File this in the “Can’t Predict Ball” folder: Justin Smoak walked in the Mariners’ fifth run of the night. This followed a stellar sequence by RHP Ryan Cook — a five-pitch walk for Kyle Seager, a four-pitch walk for Kendrys Morales, and a special HBP for Morse.

Lowlight:

• Yoenis Cespedes nabbed the A’s lone run of the game, turning Iwakuma’s 81 MPH slider into a moonshot over the center field fence.

Tweet of the game:

Next game: vs. A’s | April 3 | 7:05pm

Final score: Mariners 2, A’s 0

It’s official: The Mariners won their first game of the year, which has serious implications for the rest of the season. For one thing, they’ll probably have a fighting chance against the Houston Astros for control of the AL West. For another, their dominating efforts in this 2-0 rout of the division’s third most-feared team can only mean that they are destined for greatness this year. 117-win greatness. World Series greatness.

Okay, now that I’ve gotten all of that unruly optimism out of my system, let’s look at how tonight actually went.

Highlights:

• The Mariners may have been 808 miles away in Oakland, but you wouldn’t know it from the 15,000+ fans that showed up to Safeco Field tonight. The marketing team put on a full-fledged Opening Day party, resplendent with free “True to the Blue” t-shirts, red and blue K cards, free admission to the entire park (including the warning track and dugouts), and a crystal-clear, HD viewing of the game on the new Jumbotron (also called “MarinersVision,” apparently) that could probably be seen from space.
• Felix pitched a standard, King’s Court-worthy season debut. His final line: 7.2 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 8 SO. Eight strikeouts. We are a spoiled fanbase — well, every fifth day, at least.
• While Josh Donaldson had the worst luck versus the King—going 0-for-3 and striking out twice—it was Felix’s former batterymate, John Jaso, who provided the most memorable strikeout of the night.
• One game into the season (and counting!), Franklin Gutierrez is still uninjured. Cross your fingers, knock on wood, throw salt over your shoulder. He provided the Mariners’ sole runs of the evening, driving in both Dustin Ackley and Brendan Ryan with a two-run single off of LHP Brett Anderson.
• Josh Reddick’s beard isn’t just in midseason form, it’s ready for playoff baseball. Fortunately for Seattle, Reddick isn’t nearly as prepared for the playoffs, and went 0-for-4 against Hernandez.

Lowlights:

• It’s a tough night when you go 0-for-4 against the Oakland A’s. It’s even worse when you also miss a pitch and get hit in the face. Such was Jesus Montero’s luck tonight when he miscalculated a pitch from Tom Wilhelmsen that dislodged his mask.
• Charlie Furbush relieved Felix in the bottom of the eighth, entering the game with runners on first and second. With a two-run lead to preserve, he promptly walked Coco Crisp to load the bases for Derek Norris. Thankfully, and despite Charlie’s efforts, this story had a happy ending.

Tweet of the game:

Next game: vs. A’s | April 2 | 7:05pm

Next game: @ Dodgers | March 9 | 12:05pm

Bonus baseball: The skies over Peoria Stadium emptied during the Mariners/A’s game this afternoon, absolving Hector Noesi of an equally disastrous performance: 3 hits, 3 homers, and 7 runs in 2.0 IP. Thankfully for Noesi and the rest of the squad, the game was called in the 4th inning, with Seattle facing a 12-1 deficit. Tomorrow, the M’s will make up for lost time with a 7-inning B squad game, scheduled to start at 10am vs. the Padres.

Stefen sidelined on strikeout: Stefen Romero exited today’s game with a strained left oblique after a strikeout in the 2nd inning, according to MLB.com’s Greg Johns. No word yet on how severe the injury or how long he is expected to be unavailable.

Catch the Mariners on TV: The next televised spring training game won’t air until March 17, but you can watch the Mariners 2013 commercials as soon as next Wednesday. If Kevin Martinez’s tweet is any indication, things are going to get a little wild this year.

Opening Day update: Guess who’s coming to town…

In just three hours, the Mariners will kick off their exclusive single-game ticket presale for the 2013 season. If you signed up for Mariners Mail, you’ll be able to purchase tickets for the next two days before they’re released to the general public on March 16.

Whether you’re looking to purchase tickets this week or willing to wait for some StubHub steals, here’s your guide to the hottest series and promotions of the upcoming season.

Opening Day: vs. Astros | April 8 | 7:05pm

Interleague series:
vs. Padres | May 27-28
vs. Pirates | June 25-26
vs. Cubs | June 28-30
vs. Brewers | August 9-11

Special promotions and events:
Beard Hat Night (and yes, this is as awesome as it sounds) | vs. Angels | April 26
Tom Wilhelmsen Train Engine Nights | vs. A’s | May 11
Felix Hernandez “Perfect Game” Bobblehead Night | vs. Rangers | May 25
Fireworks Night | vs. Cubs | June 28
Dustin Ackley Gnome Night | vs. Angels | June 13
Fireworks Night | vs. Brewers | August 9
Ken Griffey Jr. “Mariners Hall of Fame” Bobblehead Night | vs. Brewers | August 10
Oktoberfest | vs. Royals | September 24
Fan Appreciation Night | vs. A’s | September 27

Dynamic pricing is back for the 2013 Mariners season, with some games offering prices as low as $5 per seat. Opening Day ticket prices start at $15. For a full list of ticket prices and available seating, check out Mariners.com.

For now, Jesus Montero is the only guaranteed catcher on the Mariners’ roster.

I’ll give Jack Zduriencik this much: he certainly knows how to pull off a surprise.

Today, the Mariners announced a three-way trade with the Oakland Athletics and Washington Nationals. John Jaso went to Oakland, A.J. Cole, Blake Treinen, and a PTBNL went to Washington, and Mike Morse went to Seattle.

It’s a move that, according to Twitter, left many fans scratching their heads.

In 2012, Jaso held a backup catching role, splitting time behind the plate with Miguel Olivo and Jesus Montero, and coming in as a left-handed pinch-hitter during late innings and extra-inning games. Offensively, he was the hottest lefty on the team, batting .276/.394/.456 in 108 games and 361 PA, with a .372 wOBA, 15.5% walk rate and 3.3 bWAR.

Mike Morse is a familiar name to Seattle fans. The Mariners saw him through the first four years of his career, from his MLB debut in 2005 to an injury-riddled 2008. In just 107 games and 337 PA, he batted .300/.365/.397 for a -0.2 bWAR. His batting average and playing time increased considerably after his departure, peaking at .303 in 2011 and dipping to a comfortable .291/.321/.470 over 430 PA in 2012.

While Morse has experience at first base (123 career games) and left/right field (247 career games), he will be fighting for a position that is over-saturated with candidates: Kendrys Morales, Mike Carp, and Justin Smoak at first, and Casper Wells, Michael Saunders, Eric Thames, Franklin Gutierrez, Jason Bay, Raul Ibanez, and Carlos Peguero in the outfield.

Where does this leave the Mariners’ catching situation? Miguel Olivo is gone. Montero is on the 40-man, but will not be expected to catch 162 games next year. Mike Zunino is promising, but as of yet unproven—and the Mariners seem to be in no rush to hurry him through the next level of minor league development. From Greg Johns’ trade report:

“We’re going to be shopping,” Zduriencik said. “We have our list; we’ve already talked to people this afternoon. We like our catching in the organization. We’ve got some good young kids right on the horizon. But for immediate needs, we’ll definitely be shopping.”

In a nutshell, this trade sees a poor defensive catcher with decent offensive production swapped for a poor defensive outfielder with decent offensive production. It leans in Oakland’s favor (and, for that matter, Washington’s), but bear in mind that Jack isn’t quite finished with the Mariners’ 2013 roster yet.

Merry Christmas, Mariner fans.

Yesterday, Jack Zduriencik made his first trade of the offseason, swapping No. 2 starter Jason Vargas for the Angels’ first baseman and designated hitter Kendrys Morales.

Over 33 starts in 2012, Jason maintained a 3.85 ERA over 217.1 IP, his lowest since 2010. Vargas struggled to keep the ball in Safeco Field, accounting for 35 home runs in what was once a pitcher’s park. When he was good, he was very good, finishing the season with a sparkling seven inning performance against Oakland, granting the soon-to-be playoff contenders five hits, a run, and seven strikeouts. When he was bad, things got ugly—for instance, his season-low performance in Arizona, where he sent the Mariners spiraling after giving up nine hits, ten runs, five home runs, and two walks in just 4.1 IP.

In Kendrys Morales, the Mariners find the missing middle-of-the-order hitter they had hoped to secure with the Michael Pineda-Jesus Montero trade last winter. Morales has somewhat successfully bounced back from two injury-laden seasons, caused in part by his new home team.

“That injury occurred when he landed awkwardly while jumping into a group of teammates at home plate after hitting a walk-off grand slam off Mariners closer Brandon League in Anaheim on May 29, 2010.” — Greg Johns, Mariners.com

Last season, Kendrys batted .273/.320/.467 in 522 PA with 22 home runs and a .339 wOBA. Morales peaked in 2009, with a .306 average, 4.0 bWAR, and fifth place in the MVP award voting. According to Greg Johns’ wrap-up, the 29-year-old has fared well in Seattle so far, managing seven home runs, a .292 average, and .904 OPS over 34 games. One can only hope that the shortened fences will work in his favor, while Jason finds the spacious dimensions of Angel Stadium more to his liking.

By this time next year, both Vargas and Morales will be free agents. Last season, Vargas fed on a $4.85M contract, while Morales topped out at $2.98M.

With a potential power hitter gracing the Mariners’ lineup, the team turns to its rotation once again. Rumors cropped up early in the offseason, hinting that Jack Z put another starter on his Christmas wish list. Today, it is a pressing need, lest we see Eric Wedge throw Hector Noesi back in the mix. Although much remains to be tested and proven in the months to come, Jack and Wedge are looking at a rotation captained by King Felix and followed by a combination of Hisashi Iwakuma, Erasmo Ramirez, Danny Hultzen, Taijuan Walker, James Paxton, or Brandon Maurer.

Jack may still have a few more surprises up his sleeve this winter, but at least through the holiday weekend, Mariner fans can finally sleep peacefully.

While the Mariners shop for free agents, you can shop at Mariners.com for Cyber Monday deals. They have ornaments. They have toasters. They even have temperature-sensing garden gnomes.

• The Mariners are in talks with Mike Napoli, according to this report from Jon Heyman. Napoli is slated to meet with the Rangers later this week, although the Yankees and Red Sox are also in the mix.
• Jeff Passan believes that the Royals are on the hunt for starting pitching in return for center fielder Wil Myers (via MLB Trade Rumors). Potential trade partners include the Diamondbacks, Rays, Athletics, and yes, the Mariners.
• Although the highlight of last week’s roster moves was the overdue ousting of Chone Figgins, a handful of MiLBers received promotions to the 40-man roster: pitchers Brandon Maurer, Anthony Fernandez, and Bobby LaFromboise, infielder Vinnie Catricala, and outfielder Julio Morban.
• There may not be a single soul left in Seattle who wishes for the return of Ichiro Suzuki. For the few clinging to the hope of a re-signing, however, let me put your mind at ease: Ichiro has announced his desire to don the pinstripes again in 2013. His agent, Tony Attanasio, reports that Ichiro’s first preference is New York, although offers from other teams will be weighed if a deal is not struck (via MLB Trade Rumors).
• Needle Ball took a tour of Safeco Field yesterday, and had the privilege of seeing the field in all its half-finished glory. Currently, the scoreboard area is still vacant, and tentative lines have been drawn on the warning track for the re-formatted fences. As for the hand-operated scoreboard, no adjustments seem to have been decided upon quite yet. The Mariners offer year-round tours of Safeco Field, running Tuesday – Sunday at 12:30pm and 2:30pm. Tours last approximately 1.5 hours and tickets can be purchased online or at the team store.

Final score: Athletics 5, Mariners 2

Today, the Mariners put up a good fight. There’s not much more you can ask from a team who won’t break .500 by season’s end, and who has faced four playoff contenders over the last two weeks.

Erasmo Ramirez skidded on a season-high four walks, but finished with three hits, two earned runs, and six strikeouts over 6.1 IP. In his absence, the ‘pen relinquished three hits and two home runs, giving Oakland just enough of an edge to clinch the sweep. Wondering just how Seattle’s starters and relievers have fared lately? From Joshua Dobner of SeattleClubhouse.com:

@wcoastfangirl SPs have a 2.06 ERA the past two days allowing no home runs in 13.1 innings. Bullpen has a 20.25 ERA & 4 HRs in 4 innings.

— Joshua Dobner (@JPDobner) September 30, 2012

If only games were won on hits amassed, not runs, the Mariners would’ve had this one in the bag. Collectively, they put up 11 hits to the A’s 6, with two doubles from Franklin Gutierrez, a double from Brendan Ryan, and a triple by Casper Wells. Justin Smoak extended his hot streak as well, going 2-for-4 with a pair of base hits, an RBI, and a failed attempt to nab home plate. In September, he’s now batting .340/.421/.580.

While the Mariners gave the A’s a leg up in the quest for the West, their next task is to play spoiler to the Angels’ hopes of grabbing a wild card. They return home for a final three-game homestand beginning tomorrow, with Felix Hernandez on the mound against LHP C.J. Wilson.

Next game: vs. Angels | October 1 | 7:10pm