MARINERS 10, CUBS 2
at Las Vegas
Friday, March 28

Mariners at the plate: Jose Lopez and Adrian Beltre drove home three runs in the first inning on a pair of homers. Lopez blasted a solo shot over the 20-foot fence in center field, and Beltre's two-run shot sailed beyond the trees in right field. Raul Ibanez added a line-drive, two-run shot barely missing an inflated cow atop the right-field fence. Right fielder Mike Morse hit a fourth Mariners homer in the sixth, a towering shot past the palms in left field. Kenji Johjima and pinch-hitter Brad Wilkerson offered back-to-back jacks in the eighth, with Johjima going deep to left for a three-run blast and Wilkerson's shot going to right. Lopez, Ibanez and Morse all had multihit games.

Cubs at the plate: Felix Pie got the Cubs' first hit with one out in third, a screaming double down the first-base line that eluded Richie Sexon's glove. Alfonso Soriano got the Cubs on the scoreboard with a leadoff homer over the right-field cow. Starting pitcher Ted Lilly had the Cubs' only other hit through the first six innings, a single to right in the third. Kosuke Fukodome added a spark in the seventh, doubling down the right-field line with two outs, advancing on a wild pitch and scoring on an infield single from Jason Marquis.

Mariners on the mound: Carlos Silva had a strong start, pitching five innings of one-run ball. He gave up three hits and a walk while striking out one, with the only run coming on Soriano's homer. Eric O'Flaherty pitched two innings of relief, allowing one run on two hits. He walked none and struck out four. J.J. Putz pitched the ninth.

Cubs on the mound: Lilly had a rough outing, yielding five runs in five innings on eight hits. All his runs came on the long ball, as the Mariners left the park three times on Lilly. He struck out four in his final tuneup. Marquis matched Lilly as three more Mariners left the park for five more runs (four earned).

Cactus League records: Mariners 13-15, Cubs 14-15-2.

Up next for Mariners: Jarrod Washburn climbs the hill for the Mariners in the final exhibition game of the season. Starter Miguel Batista will piggyback on Washburn's start, getting his own tuneup before the season starts. Facing off against the Cubs' Ryan Dempster in a 12:05 p.m. PT game at Cashman Field in Las Vegas.

Up next for Cubs: Ryan Dempster toes the rubber for the final spring start for the Cubs before the club returns to wintry Chicago to open the season. Manager Lou Piniella expects to use all of his bullpen over the two days in Las Vegas. After "hosting" the Mariners at Cashman Field Friday, the Cubs will be the visiting team for the 2:05 p.m. CT spring finale.