SEATTLE -- Who needs slug when you can single your way to victory?
The Mariners’ boom-or-bust lineup put together arguably its most productive night at the plate of the entire season -- at least in the context of consistently creating traffic, cashing much of it in and not relying at all on the long ball.
In an 8-3 win over the Angels on Tuesday, Seattle strung together 13 hits, all but one of which were singles. It was their largest run output in a game all season -- win or loss -- without hitting a homer, passing a 6-1 victory over the Astros on April 12.
And much of their production was manufactured in a five-run sixth inning that broke a scoreless tie. That one frame alone represented their most runs in a single inning without a homer since the fourth inning of a Sept. 14 game against these Angels last season.
This all might sound quirky, and maybe it is. But considering that Seattle’s lineup -- which has scuffled mightily in June -- has leaned so heavily on homers, it was a promising development.
Entering Tuesday, a whopping 50.9% of the Mariners’ runs this season had been scored via the homer, easily an MLB high. In fact, they are the sport’s only team to score more than half their runs by clearing the fence.
Just as telling is that the Mariners entered play 6-22 in games in which they did not homer.