White Sox agree to lose game to Mariners

Quick recap today as I head out the door on my way to evening class. The Mariners beat the White Sox this afternoon with a score of 7-4, thanks to a late-game rally behind the bats of Jesus Montero and D.J. Peterson. That is a real sentence I typed in 2014 on a Seattle Mariners website. I'm getting just as tired of highlighting the relative meaninglessness of spring training games as I'm sure you are hearing us beleaguer that point, so I'll just jump right into the bulletpoints, since that's what we are all probably here for anyway.

• Scott Baker got knocked around a little bit in his second start, giving up three hits and a run in three innings. I can't find word on his velocity, which as Scott mentioned this morning, needs to be over 90mph if he is going to be a productive member of the M's rotation. Regardless of any minor hiccups in the box score, he apparently felt good after his second start, which is important for someone coming off Tommy Johns. Even better is that Baker's only earned run came off a double steal in the second inning because it's spring training and people are stealing home in the second inning now. With news this morning that the M's are restarting Taijuan's schedule, Baker's spot is pretty crucial for the first few months of the M's rotation, as everyone has been saying for so long. I'm sure he knows it too.
• Fernando Rodney came into the game in the fourth inning and also got hit up a bit. It's okay, though, because he's a Closer™ and you can't judge him off of any low-leverage performances. I'm pretty sure that's how it works, and not that Rodney is volatile and gets into trouble easily. Also, again, it was his first outing of the year so it means very little. It was an interesting preview, though, for what are bound to be some interesting ninth innings this year. I'm so tired of interesting ninth innings.
  
• D.J. Peterson made his spring debut today, and the Tacoma News Tribune's Bob Dutton has a good little quote from the M's prospect about remembering what it feels like to get hit in the face with a baseball, and then stepping right back into the line of fire.
• Brad Miller apparently made yet another great play, much to the assured chagrin of Nick Franklin. His athletic diving stop was, though, off the bat of 38-year old jogger Paul Konerko, so once again here's a little pessimism to ruin your oh fine Wow! I love Brad Miller! My nerves are in mid-season form already.
• Willie Bloomquist made a few head-scratching plays in the sixth to help the White Sox score two runs. I've come to accept that WFB is going to spend a few innings in the infield every other day this year, and it's possible moments like these will start to taste more like that warm, flat can of Coke you left out on the counter before work rather than sour milk. But drinking flat Coke is terrible. It's not that hard to just go open a new can, cold from the fridge, especially if you only drink it every other day.

Tomorrow the M's take on the Reds at noon and yet another veteran Tommy John comeback story gets its next chapter as Randy Wolf takes the hill. It looks like this one actually will be broadcast on 710ESPN.