Mariners: Crushing Kansas City and the home and road splits

The M's took their weak hitting show on the road to Kansas City Monday and emerged like Clark Kent from a telephone booth.  11 hits and a bunch of walks on Monday led to nine runs, and 14 hits and a few more free passes Tuesday led to nine more runs.  Dingers! Triples! Doubles! Timely Bingles!  They were all there.  Michael Saunders homered.  Dustin Ackley homered. Casper Wells homered. Justin Smoak homered twice(!!??) 

Michael Saunders is congratulated after his mammoth homer to center in Tuesday night's game.

Should we be excited? The pitching was not the highest quality.  Jonathan Sanchez, the lefty slinger mauled Monday, pitched a crappy game in a long series of crappy games this season.  So crappy, in fact, the Royals DFA'ed him on Tuesday.  Tuesday's pitcher, Ryan Verdugo, an emergency AAA call up, got whacked around pretty good too.  Both Royals starters were gone by before the end of second inning.  Kansas City finds itself coming into tonight's game, the third in a four game series, with its bullpen dented and bruised. 

Last night during the game, Roots Sports posted a graphic that showed some breathtaking information.  The Mariners were leading all major league baseball in runs scored on the road.  The M's, with 92 games played have also played more games than all teams but the Phillies, Dodgers and Padres, with most other teams within a game or two.  They've also played 48 of those games on the road, which I suspect is more than most teams. That aside, after last night's game the M's have scored 238 runs on the road.  That's four more than the second place Angels. 

So what might their run total be in their 44 home games?  How about a grand total of 126.  That's about 53% of the runs scored away from Safeco Field. All other offensive statistics are likewise shriveled in Seattle.  The numbers of extra base hits home/road are as follows: 2B 53/90, 3B 3/13/, HR 22/56.  This is a team that has demonstrated it can score in other teams' ballparks, but scores the fewest runs in the majors at home.

It wasn't like the twin outbursts at Kaufman Stadium were at the Ballpark in Arlington either.  The K, as it's known at home, like Safeco Field, is known for its roomy outfields, and in its prime, attracted speedy outfielders like Willie Wilson and Amos Otis to run down drives in the gaps.  It is a toasty 95 degrees, so balls don't lose momentum in marine air.  All of this does give a new perspective on the fences at Safeco argument.

All statistics from Yahoo! Sports

Photo by Orlin Wagner, AP.