SOX 4, MARINERS 2

Cease and persist

Right- hander Dylan Cease, the high- end pitching prospect packaged with Eloy Jimenez in the

Jose Quintana trade, pitched three more scoreless innings, striking out four and allowing one hit. In what might have been his last start before heading to minor- league camp, the 22- year- old breezed through a 1- 2- 3 first inning, striking out Dee Gordon with a sharp curve, retiring 44- year- old

Ichiro Suzuki on a grounder to first and throwing a 98 mph heater past Jean Segura. Cease threw fewer breaking balls in this outing than his first two, and while he had fastball- command issues in the third inning— he walked Gordon

Beckham on four pitches— he got through it unscathed.

In three games covering 6⅓ innings, Cease has impressed, racking up nine strikeouts. He has allowed three hits and three walks but has not given up a run.

“I’ll be leaving the camp feeling good about what I have to work on to keep progressing,’’ he said.

Cactus League RBI king

Matt Davidson, playing third base, collected his Cactus League- leading 16th RBI in the first inning with a double off the right- field wall against lefthander Marco Gonzales.

Adam bombs

Center fielder Adam Engel hit Gonzales’ first pitch for a homer and homered again in the ninth, his third and fourth long balls of the spring. Engel, who batted .166 last season, also lined out hard and struck out twice.

Prospect watch

Catcher Zack Collins, the Sox’ 2016 first- round draft pick, hit his first spring homer. Jimenez singled to center, walked on five pitches, struck out and grounded out.

On deck

Day off. James Shields and Michael Kopech will pitch on the back fields at Camelback Ranch.