PEORIA, Ariz. -- Blink and you might have missed it, but Mariners left-hander Wade Miley put his third Cactus League outing in the books Sunday, setting the tone for a game that lasted just 2 hours, 3 minutes.
Miley allowed a pair of homers to Jose Ramirez to account for all the Indians' runs in a 3-1 loss to Cleveland at Peoria Stadium, but he got 59 pitches of work in over five innings, typically working in a fashion that makes him a pace-of-play virtuoso.
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"That's Wade, going after them," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "He did get a couple of balls up today, and paid the price, unfortunately, with the same guy. But that's what he does. He competes really well. He's healthy and everything's good there."
Miley was generally pleased with the outing, and threw a few more pitches on the side afterward to extend his pitch count. He wound up allowing the three runs on four extra-base hits, but he erased one of those with a sweet pickoff play, combining with Luis Sardinas to nail Rajai Davis on second.
It was Ramirez who really did the damage against Miley, turning on an inside changeup as the second batter of the game and then delivering the bat head to a 2-and-0 changeup in the third for a two-run shot.
"I tip my hat," said Miley, who walked Ramirez on four pitches the third time around. "I threw him a 2- and-0 changeup, and I didn't think it was that bad of a pitch. Not a lot of guys hit 2-and-0 soft, but he did. He pounded it."
Miley, acquired from the Red Sox over the winter, said he had some trouble with fastball command early, but once he mixed in some breaking pitches was able to get to a better place on the heater. All in all, it was another step toward Opening Day, and that's what he needed to take Sunday.
"I feel great," Miley said. "I feel like I'm in a good spot where I need to be at, the pitch count is getting where it needs to be."