A mere eight teams scored fewer runs than the 2018 Seattle Mariners and things figured to only get worse this season after the defections of Robinson Cano, Jean Segura, Nelson Cruz and Mike Zunino. One of those fellows hit 37 home runs, another 20 and the other two each hit better than .300. Others replaced them, of course, but let us just say big things were not among the reasonable expectations when it came to the 2019 rebuilding Mariners.
Perhaps we will all have a big laugh about the great start, too. It is, frankly, only six games. The Mariners swept the Oakland Athletics in Tokyo and few noticed. Taking three of four from the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox, with Chris Sale headlining a solid rotation, is different, but if that happens in July, nobody overreacts. The Mariners scored 34 runs this weekend, battering the Boston starters for 28 runs in 15 innings. Three of the first five players on the very early Player Rater are Mariners hitters. No, this is not an April Fools' joke.