SEATTLE -- The Mariners had a chance to break even on their latest homestand, but instead head out on a 10-game road trip on the heels of two consecutive losses at Safeco Field. Then again, maybe that's not such a bad thing as the Mariners have the best road record in the American League at 19-11.
A 6-4 loss to the Rangers on Sunday left the Mariners with a 3-4 mark on the homestand and dropped their overall record at Safeco Field to 15-18. Seattle lost its first five games at home this season, before winning the final game of an early April series against the Rangers.
"I think if it was something we could put our finger on, we would address it and probably know what it is," catcher Chris Iannetta said. "We're comfortable wherever we play, it just so happened that we've played some tough teams and we lost some games here.
"We came out of the gate really slow with 1-5 or something like that, but that's a little hole to dig yourself out of over the course of a season. It's going to make the numbers look a little bit skewed, especially with not a ton of games."
On Saturday night, the Mariners were on the verge of evening their home record at 16-16 with a 1-0 lead when Prince Fielder hit a game-tying home run with two outs in the ninth inning. The Rangers went on to win, 2-1, in 11 innings.
"Disappointing series," manager Scott Servais said. "We had some chances throughout the series to try to get over the hump, and it just didn't happen. That is going to happen at times, but I thought we were right there."
Third baseman Kyle Seager is convinced the Mariners' home record will improve over the remainder of the season.
"We played pretty good this series, they won two out of three, that's just the way it works," Seager said. "We have a great home crowd, the fans are great, we've got a great ballpark. I don't read too much into it."
The Mariners play 17 of their final first-half games on the road, with one nine-game homestand against St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Baltimore over the end of June and the first three days of July.
"They played better than us this series," Servais said. "I still like our club, I like our club against anybody in the league. They just got big hits. Last night, we were on the edge there, a strike away. That's just what happens in this league. We will beat some teams that way, as well. We have already.
"A lot of games left to play. This division is far from being settled. I think everybody knows that," Servais said. "We'll go out on a road trip and get it going there."