The Mariners hit two home runs Sunday afternoon as they defeated the Reds 3-1. The Mariners aimed to increase their power this season, trading for Michael Morse and Kendrys Morales, as well as pulling in the fences in their home park. It worked, too. The Mariners hitters came into the day fourth in the AL in home runs, and the two today bring their total to 104. They hit 149 in 2012, ranked 11th.

Unfortunately, that’s the only place the team seemed to improve. They scored 3.82 runs per game in 2012, last in the AL. They are scoring 3.7 runs per game this season, coming into the day in a virtual tie for last with the White Sox. Despite the power surge, they do a poor job of getting on base, so the home runs can’t do that much damage. Their .239 BA and .305 OBP rate below average in the league. Home runs are a great way to generate offense, but without some base runners, they just make the offense a little less pathetic.