The Mariners rode a pair of two-run homers from Kendrys Morales and Raul Ibanez Sunday to a 4-3 Cactus League victory over the Texas Rangers in front of 8,478 fans at Peoria Stadium. Morales homered for the second straight day and Ibanez launched his third long ball of the spring. Seattle has bashed 43 homers in 22 contests.
Seattle’s home run total is already the third-most in club history and just eight shy of the record of 51 in 32 games in 1999, when the club featured Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Edgar Martinez and Jay Buhner.
Morales’ two-out, two-strike, bomb to right field in the bottom of the eighth erased a 3-2 deficit. Ibanez slugged a two-run shot to right field for a 2-1 lead in the fourth. He is hitting .379.
Seattle starter Blake Beavan, one of five starters competing for the final two rotation spots, worked six innings, allowing one run on three hits. Beavan, who retired the first 10 batters he faced, threw just 61 pitches. Carter Capps worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning, and Danny Farquhar earned the save with a perfect ninth. Kameron Loe (1-0) allowed two runs in his inning of work.
Brad Miller tripled in his only at-bat, working back from a 1-2 count with two outs to keep the inning alive for Morales in the eighth. Jason Bay went two-for-four with a double and a stolen base.
Franklin Gutierrez started his first game in eight days after sitting out because of tightness in his legs. He went 0-for-2 with a walk.
Felix Hernandez worked in a minor league game Sunday. He pitched four innings, allowing three hits, one earned run and striking out six against the Cincinnati Reds’ high-A team.
Seattle travels Monday to Phoenix Municipal Stadium to take on the Oakland Athletics. The game will not be broadcast, but can be followed on www.mariners.com. Right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma is scheduled to start vs. A’s right-hander A.J. Griffin.
Iwakuma is having an effective spring with a 2.70 ERA and seven hits allowed in 10 innings over four appearances. Oliver Perez, Lucas Luetge and Stephen Pryor are among the relievers scheduled to pitch.
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There are 14 players still in camp slugging over .500, with 10 of them over .600. Of them Miller, Morban, Peguero, Bay and Jacobs may well not make the cut.