The good news: After one-third of a season, the Seattle Mariners, the worst-hitting team in baseball for the last three years, now ranks 11th (out of 30 teams) in runs scored in the Majors. Yay!

The bad news: They're 27th, 28th, and 26th in batting average, OBP, and slugging percentage. Yikes!

How is this possible? How can a team with such lousy batting percentages score so many runs?

It's partly a matter of opportunity. The team leads the Majors in games played. They've scored more often because they've played more often.

They've also, as Rob Neyer attests, hit incredibly well (third in the AL in OPS) with runners in scoring position.

Here are their rankings in various offensive categories:

• Games: 1st (59)
• At-bats: 3rd (1967)
• Runs: 11th (243)
• Hits: 20th (461)
• Doubles: 12th (100)
• Triples: T-12th (11)
• Home Runs: T-14th (54)
• Total Bases: 17th (745)
• Batting Average: 27th (.234)
• On Base Percentage: 28th (.296)
• Slugging Percentage: 26th (.379)
• OPS: 27th (.675)
• Strikeouts: 5th (446)
• Walks: 15th (176)
• Intentional Walks: 29th (5)
• Hit By Pitch: 30th (3)
• GIDP: 22nd (38)
• Ground balls: 20th (681)
• Fly balls: 3rd (863)

The HBP thing is interesting. The home runs are nice to see. Our team OBP will be helped without the likes of Chone Figgins (.250 OBP) and if the M's played John Jasso at catcher (.350 OBP) more often than Miguel Olivo (.225 OBP).

Either way, the overall numbers recall Paul McCartney's refrain “I have to admit it's getting better/ It's getting better all the time.” Mainly because they also recall John Lennon's counter refrain: “Can't get no worse.”

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