J-Rod HR highlights Seattle's best day yet at the plate

PHOENIX -- Julio Rodríguez was the headliner during the Mariners’ 7-5 win over the Brewers on Saturday afternoon, but he was hardly the lone contributor, and Seattle’s collective effort in its best Cactus League game yet underscored the offensive potential that the club has touted.

“It doesn't feel deeper, it is deeper,” Seattle’s star center fielder said of the Mariners' new-look lineup.

Rodríguez blasted a three-run home run in his second at-bat, pummeling a 2-0 slider off former All-Star Freddy Peralta onto the left-field berm. Then for good measure, he ripped a double down the left-field line in his third plate appearance on a 1-0 fastball, which had a 112 mph exit velocity, according to Trackman at American Family Fields of Phoenix.

Rodríguez, who was delayed one week by left hand inflammation, is now 4-for-8 with the homer, double, three runs and two strikeouts in four Cactus League games. Admittedly rusty at first, his new swing changes -- with an emphasis on less lower-half movement into the hitting position -- are already rounding into form.

“Obviously, it's early, but I feel like it's a pretty good sign that this is my fourth game and I've already been able to drive the ball hard,” Rodríguez said.

The mechanical tweaks have also had other positive impacts.

“Since I've got a little bit less movement now, I feel like I'm able to focus on recognizing a better pitch, and I feel like it's given me a little bit more time for that,” Rodríguez said.

Just as telling were the hitter's counts that Rodríguez was able to work into -- particularly given that some of his biggest pitfalls last year came when chasing after falling behind.

“He got into some bad habits early in the year last year, kind of squatting into his legs,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “And when you do that, you're going to come up and out of it. When your head's moving, the ball moves even more than it does naturally. ... He hit the ball in the air today. We talk about it with Julio a lot: If he hits the ball in the air, good things happen. He's so strong.”

Rodríguez showed last season that at his best, he can almost single-handedly carry the Mariners. But his supporting cast will be just as vital -- and the early returns on free-agent acquisition Mitch Garver have been among the most promising offensive developments in camp.

Garver went 3-for-3 on Saturday with a pair of RBI doubles, bringing his Cactus League line to 5-for-14, with two homers and seven RBIs. The designated hitter dissected the sequences that positioned Seattle for success, pointing to a two-out walk by Brian Anderson, followed by a single from J.P. Crawford and the three-run homer from Rodríguez in the second. Garver tacked on a single after, which led to a pitching change.

“You give them body blow, body blow and then a knockout punch,” Garver said. “That's the situation where you can knock a pitcher out of the game.”

Speaking of Crawford, his two hits -- a leadoff double and RBI infield single -- were his first of the spring. The Mariners didn’t use all their starters, and the Brewers rolled out a split squad, yet the results were notable, particularly for a new-look lineup that is perhaps more unheralded than the other powers in the American League West.

“I feel like that's something that not everybody knows, in a way,” Rodríguez said. “It feels really good that you've got guys that are not just going to hit home runs and things like that, but that can continue to pass the baton. We didn't have the full team together in this game, but I feel like you were clearly able to see that there are guys that can do damage.”

The Mariners have reached the stage of camp where game circumstances shift more from offseason adjustments into regular-season sequencing, and they’re deliberate about sustaining it.

“We're putting together good at-bats. We're making it tough on the opposing team,” Garver said. “And hopefully when we get to the regular season, we don't try to put more pressure on those situations just because the games mean more. We're still trying to execute that plan and stay consistent -- stay kind of relentless with the approach -- and I think that's what we did today.”