SEATTLE -- Their defense has been spotty. Their bullpen is suspect. Their rotation lacks a dominant ace. But when your offense is averaging eight runs per game, turns out a lot of shortcomings get covered up.\n\nSo it is that the Mariners find themselves off to their best start in 24 years after pounding out a [10-8 win](https://www.mlb.com/gameday/red-sox-vs-mariners/2019/03/31/566375#game_state=final,game_tab=wrap,game=566375) over the Red Sox on Sunday at T-Mobile Park, taking three of four games from the reigning World Series champs and improving to 5-1 on the season.\n\n“What a series,” said manager Scott Servais. “It was an unbelievable series by our offense. We got big hits. We hit homers. It was really fun to watch. The confidence is really growing among all the guys in the lineup, no matter where we put ‘em. Everybody is contributing, and that’s what it takes to put up big numbers against a team like that.”\n\nThe Mariners had to survive a ninth inning in which
It’s just the fourth time in franchise history the Mariners have started 5-1 or better, having gone 6-0 in 1985 and 5-1 in ‘84 and ‘95, and they’re doing it with a club that traded away All-Stars Robinson Cano, Jean Segura, James Paxton and Edwin Diaz and let Nelson Cruz walk in free agency.\n\nThe rebuilding Mariners mashed 28 hits and 28 runs (22 earned) in 15 innings off the vaunted Red Sox rotation of Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi, Eduardo Rodriguez and Sunday starter Rick Porcello, who departed after 2 2/3 innings with a 9-3 deficit.\n\nCatcher
Seattle outscored the Red Sox by 10 runs (34-24) in the series and has put up 48 runs in 54 innings on the season, which started with a two-game sweep of the A’s in Tokyo on March 20-21.\n\nThe 34 runs allowed by Boston ties the most given up in the first four games of a season by a defending World Series champion -- a mark set by the Orioles in 1984 -- and the 11 homers are the most allowed by a defending champ in its first four games.\n\n
As for the defense? An error by Healy allowed two unearned runs in the first off
\n\nAnd the bullpen got a big boost with 1 2/3 scoreless innings from rookie