'We're deep': Mariners new-look lineup consistent from top to bottom

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The results won’t matter for another week and a half, but the litmus test of the Mariners’ new-look lineup continues to achieve precisely what it’s set out to.

They’ve been consistently consistent.

• Projecting the Mariners’ Opening Day roster

Seattle ran away to an 8-2 win over the White Sox at the Peoria Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon behind most of its starters, while a split squad took part in an 11-7 win over the Reds at Goodyear Ballpark behind George Kirby.

The Mariners’ box score in the “A” game was full of highlights against a Chicago team that isn’t expected to contend in 2024 and featured mostly backups. But how the Mariners’ big moments manifested stood out far more.

“We’re going to be a pretty damn good offense,” J.P. Crawford said. “One through nine, we're deep. And I think the middle of our order is stacked this year. We're going to score a lot of runs.”

The runaway first inning
A prevailing theme in camp has been to start strong, mostly in the context of the regular-season calendar after Seattle slumped through the first two months before hitting its stride the past two years. But it’s also applied within each game.

On Saturday, Crawford opened the game with a leadoff double to the opposite field, textbook for the shortstop when he’s on time, then just after, Jorge Polanco punched a one-out double to deep right-center while hitting from the left side in a 1-2 count.

Mitch Garver tacked on an RBI single to keep the pressure on, then Dominic Canzone went for the jugular, crushing a pull-side homer onto the berm that left his bat at 108 mph, according to Peoria’s Trackman data. He did so hunting a breaking ball on the first pitch.

Scoring first has its obvious perks. The top five teams in first-inning run production last season were all among the better offenses in the league -- the Braves, Dodgers, Rays, Astros and Padres, in order.

“The spotlight is on the offense,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “Our offense is going to be better. I'm very confident in that. I love what I'm seeing out of our offense right now, and how they're going about it with a team approach is as good as it has ever been since I've been here.”

Two-out pressure
As the lineup flipped for the third time, Crawford fell behind quickly, 0-2, with two outs and no one on before grinding his way to a full count against White Sox starter Jake Woodford, after which he ripped a hard-hit single up the middle.

In the next at-bat, Julio Rodríguez tattooed a back-spinning double into the right-field gap just short of the warning track that scored Crawford -- the type of knock that Rodríguez has specialized in and one that knocked Woodford out of the game.

After the pitching change, Polanco punched an 0-2 breaking ball with a half-swing into the gap between shortstop and third base with Rodríguez running, allowing another run to score easily.

“We all have a plan and we stick to it, and I think the good thing about this offense is we make a lot of mid-game adjustments,” Crawford said. “Everyone talks in the dugout of what they see and giving our other hitters a game plan of what [the pitcher] is throwing.”

Asked how such communication is different than in years past, Crawford added: “We're starting it in the spring and not in the middle of the summer. So it's pretty cool to see us getting dialed in right away. That way, when the summer comes, we're not chasing something. We're going to be ready from Day 1.”

Opposite-field onslaught
Garver’s knock, Rodríguez’s double and Polanco’s dribbler -- each scoring runs -- were among the six hits that Seattle’s starters ripped to the gaps. Opposite-field hitting isn’t always deliberate, but it can be reflective of sound timing and approach at the plate.

Those efforts backed Luis Castillo, who punched out five in five innings as he marched toward what will likely be his second straight Opening Day start.

“Perfect,” Castillo said of the offense through an interpreter. “Very aggressive with the bats. Hopefully they’ll be able to do this for the rest of Spring Training and can carry it on to Seattle.”