Martin keys Mariners' big third vs. Shark, SF

March 16th, 2016

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Leonys Martin's three-run homer was part of the Mariners' six-run third against new Giants right-hander Jeff Samardzija in his fourth start of the spring Wednesday as Seattle slugged its way to a 9-6 victory at Peoria Stadium.
Left fielder Angel Pagan reached base four times in a 3-for-3 day with a double, triple and three RBIs for the Giants, while Robinson Cano went 2-for-3 with a double and triple for Seattle.
Samardzija, who signed a five-year, $90 million deal in free agency this offseason, threw two perfect frames before surrendering six runs and six hits in the third. Martin ripped a three-run homer and third baseman Luis Sardinas followed with a two-run shot, while shortstop Shawn O'Malley added a leadoff blast in the fourth.

"We got power from our speed guys today," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "Those guys hit the ball well, and obviously it was carrying very well today. We jumped back in it after we got behind early, which was nice to see. We swung the bats very well."
Samardzija threw 73 pitches before coming out after four frames, with his Cactus League ERA now at 8.31.
"I was pretty happy with where the ball was all day," said Samardzija. "I left a couple of balls up that went out of the park, but here in Arizona, I don't worry about that too much. I got a lot of ground balls. Those first two innings were great, so we'll repeat that and go back to the film and continue what we did there."

Mariners right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma also got roughed up, as he allowed seven hits and five runs with two walks while throwing 54 pitches in 2 2/3 innings. Including a perfect first, Iwakuma had opened his spring with six scoreless innings with just one hit before the Giants jumped on him for two runs on three hits and a pair of walks in the second.
A throwing error by Sardinas didn't help, but Iwakuma struggled with his command for the first time, and designated hitter Trevor Brown delivered a two-run single with the bases loaded to give San Francisco the early lead. Pagan followed in the third with a two-run double over the head of Martin in center.

"They put up good at-bats," Iwakuma said of the lengthy third inning. "To be honest, I thought some of the pitches were in the zone, but the umpire was a little tight today. But that's part of the game, and we'll see that during the season as well. I fell behind in a lot of the counts today, and that's what cost me a couple runs."
Brown went 2-for-3 with three RBIs for the Giants, while Hunter Pence also had two hits.
Nelson Cruz ended an 0-for-17 start to his spring with a single in the fifth for Seattle, while Martin, O'Malley and catcher Chris Iannetta joined Cano with two-hit days.

Up next for Mariners:James Paxton takes the hill against the A's in Mesa at 1:05 p.m. PT on Thursday as the Mariners begin their fourth time through the rotation for most of their starters. The southpaw, competing with Nathan Karns for Seattle's fifth starting spot, is 1-1 with a 4.00 ERA in nine innings this spring. Closer Steve Cishek is slated for his first relief appearance since March 6 as he works back from a sore biceps, with Tony Zych, Blake Parker and Joel Peralta also scheduled out of the bullpen.
Listen to the action on Gameday Audio.
Up next for Giants:Jake Peavy will make his fourth appearance of the spring Thursday at 7:10 p.m. PT against the Padres in Peoria, looking to take the next step toward being ready for Opening Day. The right-hander threw 59 pitches in his third outing of the spring Saturday. 
Watch the action live on MLB.TV.