Edwin Encarnacion and the Seattle Mariners are off to a slugging start unlike

KANSAS CITY Phil Niekro Jersey , Mo. (AP) — any team in major league history.Encarnacion homered twice during an eight-run sixth inning, two of five homers for the hot-hitting Mariners during a 13-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.Seattle has 32 homers over its first 12 games, the most ever by a team a dozen games into the season. The St. Louis Cardinals had 31 in 2000, according to STATS. The Mariners have scored at least five runs 11 times already.“What an offensive roll we’re on right now,” manager Scott Servais said. “Guys just don’t let up. The consistency up and down the lineup, it’s contagious. They guys have all bought in.”Encarnacion is the first Mariner to homer twice in an inning since Bret Boone and Mike Cameron both did it May 2, 2002 against the White Sox. Cameron tied a major league record with four homers in that game. The last player with a multihomer inning was Mark Trumbo of the Angels on April 15, 2016 at Texas.It’s the second time in his career that Encarnacion has homered twice in an inning, also accomplishing it on July 26, 2013 with Toronto. He’s the fifth player to homer twice in an inning more than once, joining Alex Rodriguez, Jeff King, Andre Dawson and Willie McCovey http://www.bravesfanproshop.com/authentic-nick-markakis-jersey , per STATS.“When (Encarnacion) hits it, it just sounds different,” said Daniel Vogelbach, who led off the second with Seattle’s first homer. “He’s done it for a long time, and he does it every single year. I think I’ve seen most of them against us. It’s a lot better to see them when he hits them for us.”The Mariners improved to 10-2, the first team in the majors with double-digit victories.Roenis Elias (1-0) pitched three scoreless, hitless innings in relief, helping Seattle cover when Felix Hernandez left after one inning with an illness. Not exactly a welcome present for Hernandez’s 33rd birthday.“It started last night,” he said. “I woke up this morning throwing up, and I threw up like 14 times. I just tried to go out there. With the way our hitters are swinging the bats, I thought I had a good chance to get a win.”Homer Bailey (0-1) allowed seven runs in five-plus innings.“I thought he threw better than his line,” Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. “He had seven punchouts. The sixth inning kind of unraveled on him there a little bit. We were hoping we could get him through the sixth inning. First-pitch homer, then the walk Chipper Jones Jersey , then a double. Just still continuing to get burned on a couple of fastballs up.”Whit Merrifield led off the first inning with an infield single, extending his hitting streak to 29 games dating to last season. Merrifield’s streak is one shy of George Brett’s club record, set when he hit .390 in 1980.The Mariners homered for a 12th straight game, a club record. They became the fourth AL team to do that since 1908.Jay Bruce and Dylan Moore also went deep for Seattle.TRAINER’S ROOMMariners: INF Tim Beckham was held out of the starting lineup with tightness in his right hamstring. He tweaked it in the Mariners’ 12-5 victory over the White Sox on Sunday. Manager Scott Servais said Beckham was available in case of emergency, but starting him wasn’t worth the risk. … RHP Shawn Armstrong is on the 10-day IL with a right oblique strain. He is eligible to return, but Servais said he’s not quite ready.ROSTER NEWSRoyals RHP Glenn Sparkman was recalled from Triple-A Omaha. RHP Kyle Zimmer was optioned to Omaha. Sparkman provides length in the Royals bullpen, and may get a start Wednesday if he is not called on Monday or Tuesday. Zimmer, the Royals first-round pick in 2012 (fifth overall) battled injuries throughout his minor league career before debuted March 30. He has a 9.00 ERA (two runs in two innings) in three appearances.UP NEXTMariners LHP Marco Gonzales (3-0, 2.30 ERA) will get the start for the Mariners in the second game of the four-game series.Royals: RHP Jakob Junis (1-0, 4.63) will start for the Royals. The front office made a couple of minor moves, there are plans to honor Frank and Karns is ready to open."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Commentary & AnalysisOrioles ProspectsOrioles Game RecapsOrioles News and RumorsCamdencastBird DroppingsSaturday’s Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles play another real game todayNew,35commentsThe front office made a couple of minor moves, there are plans to honor Frank and Karns is ready to open.EDTShareTweetShareShareSaturday’s Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles play another real game todayBrad Penner-USA TODAY SportsGood morning John Smoltz Jersey , Birdland!Look, I get it. The Orioles opening day roster is downright depressing. There are only a handful of legitimate major league players present, and Andrew Cashner got the ball to begin the season. That feels like a joke. But this is only a temporary situation. This Orioles team will, in general, add talent from this point forward. Pedro Araujo will be sent down the minute that he’s eligible. Alex Cobb will be back in less than a week. Austin Hays will get healthy, play a few months in Norfolk and make his way to Baltimore eventually. Hunter Harvey, Branden Kline and Tanner Scott will pitch out of the O’s bullpen at some point. We may even get a chance to see Ryan Mountcastle or Yusniel Diaz. Get hype!In the meantime, we have to sit through some ugly baseball in April and May, perhaps longer. That will result in a boatload of losses, but that should dissipate (a bit) as the season goes on.Then again, I tend to be a glass half-full kind of person.LinksOrioles to celebrate life of Frank Robinson on April 6 - School of RochSomething like this was expected, of course, but the date was unknown. This will certainly be one of the most memorable nights at Camden Yards all summer.Orioles Bring In Former Top Prospect Outfielder - Birds WatcherThe headline makes this seem more exciting than it really is. Mason Williams is a 27-year-old with 200 major league plate appearances. That said Matt Kemp Jersey , he was solid (.293/.331/.398, 94 OPS+) in 51 games for the Reds last season. He may never play a game for the O’s, but he gives them a nice depth piece at Triple-A for the time being.Orioles announce Williams signing and trade for Gudino - School of RochMore on the Williams move plus some notes on Yeltsin Gudino, a 22-year-old that the Birds have added to High-A Frederick. Orioles’ minor league rosters feature new assignments for top prospects - Baltimore SunThere is no need for the organization to rush any of their prospects, and GM Mike Elias has made it clear that he wants to see youngsters “graduate” before progressing to the next minor league level. That gives added significance to Diaz starting with Double-A Bowie. Nate Karns Embracing ‘Opener’ Role For Orioles - Press BoxDoes he really have an option? The guy needs to rejuvenate his career, and there is a strong likelihood that he will stretch out to a traditional starter at least a couple of times this season. He’s one of the few pitchers on the roster with some sort of track record as a big league starter. The O’s will need him to play a significant role, or the bullpen could be gassed by June.Orioles birthdays and historyIs it your birthday? Happy birthday!I’m sorry to say that no current or former Orioles players have birthdays to celebrate today. A couple of notable baseball-ers that do turn another year old are Alex Bregman (b. 1994) and Chris Sale (b. 1989). So, that’s nice for them.2011 - Major League Baseball selects two fans to take part in the “MLB Fan Cave.” One of them is Baltimore native and future Orioles PA announcer Ryan Wagner.