Mariners Roundup: Seattle bounces back after disheartening start to Oakland series

Best Moment: Mariners tally up 16 runs in third game of the series

Seattle's lineup is quite an interesting group. Their season OPS of .673 is 27th in MLB, their .218 batting average is dead last, and they have 37 more strikeouts than the next team. However, they have been known to go on unstoppable tears once in a blue moon. The 16 runs they scored against Oakland is the most they have scored in a single game all season, beating the previous record of 12 against the Mets in August.

In fact, the Mariners have nine games where they've scored 10+ runs, tied with the Astros and within the realm of other offensive powerhouses like the Yankees (12), Padres (12), and Orioles (13). Unfortunately, they also have 51 games where they've scored two or fewer runs, the fourth-most in MLB. This lopsided offense which can go from struggling to string three hits together to casually plating seven runners in a single inning has been torture for fans as they've become haunted by the inconsistency.

What's the solution to this problem? A more balanced hitting approach is likely the answer. The Mariners depend on home runs for nearly all of their scoring so when hitters aren't able to barrel up pitches sufficiently, the team falls flat. It may be too late to fix that this year but perhaps it's something that can be rectified in future seasons.