Rookie Logan Evans dazzles, Mariners top Padres to claim first Vedder Cup win

SAN DIEGO – A rockin’ start, indeed, for the Mariners in the first official edition of the Vedder Cup.

J.P. Crawford blasted the first pitch of the game for a home run, and Rowdy Tellez and Cal Raleigh added two-run homers to back rookie Logan Evans in the Mariners’ 5-1 victory over the San Diego Padres in their series opener Friday night at Petco Park.

Evans, in his fourth major-league start, completed six innings for the first time with the Mariners, shutting down the Padres while scattering seven hits with one walk and three strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 2.57.

The series between the “natural” rivals got a formal nickname this year when Eddie Vedder, the frontman for Seattle’s Pearl Jam, agreed to attach his name to the series. The team that wins the overall season series will take home a Vedder guitar trophy.

After a 1-5 homestand, the Mariners (24-19) opened a 10-day, 10-game road trip with a convincing win over a Padres team that has one of the best records (27-16) in baseball.

Crawford resumed his bounce-back season with his fourth home run – the 14th leadoff homer of his career.

Tellez hit his seventh of the season in the fourth inning, a 111.7 mph blast sent on a line out to right field, 408 feet. Raleigh scored after drawing a one-out walk.

In the sixth, Raleigh hit his 14th homer of the season – one off the MLB lead – just over the wall in left field. The switch-hitting catcher has 83 career homers hitting left-handed, and this was just the second one he’d hit the opposite way.

All three of the Mariners’ homers came off Stephen Kolek, a former Seattle farmhand whom the Padres took from the M’s in the 2023 Rule 5 draft.

Kolek, in his first two starts this season, had not allowed a run in victories over the Pirates and Rockies.

The Padres were 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position against Evans, who benefited from a strong defense behind him.

A deke from third baseman Ben Williamson on a play in shallow left field – pretending to catch a pop up he knew he wouldn’t catch – stalled Fernando Tatis Jr. just enough running toward second base to keep the Padres star from advancing to third base with no outs.

That effectively saved a run when the next batter, Manny Machado, grounded into a nifty 6-3 double play turned by Crawford up the middle.

Evans then struck out Jackson Merrill swinging through a sweeper at his feet, stranding Tatis at third.

Kirby roughed up in rehab start

The Mariners’ battered rotation got a bit of hopeful news Friday night.

George Kirby built his pitch count up to 64 over four innings in his third rehab start for Triple-A Tacoma. Of his 64 pitches, 48 were strikes.

That part was encouraging.

Not so encouraging were the two home runs, 10 hits and four runs Kirby surrendered to the Isotopes in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Welcome to the Pacific Coast League, George.

Kirby, who opened the season on the injured list with shoulder inflammation, allowed three singles in the fourth inning before stranding the bases loaded to close out his night. The Rainiers led 12-4 at the time.

Kirby’s next start could be back with the Mariners. The club has not announced any formal plans, but Kirby has been starting every sixth day during his rehab assignment, and he’s expected to stay on that schedule upon his return to the Mariners rotation.

That would potentially put him in line to start the opener of the Mariners’ four-game series Thursday in Houston.