MLB Game Preview - Colorado at Seattle

Thu Jun 1, 2017 3:40 PM EDT

SEATTLE -- Bud Black admits it. He would have lost on "Jeopardy!"

In which major league ballpark were more home runs hit than any other in 2016?

The Colorado Rockies manager said he never would have responded, "What is Safeco Field?"

"Really? No way!" Black said when told there were more homers hit in Seattle than at the Rockies' Coors Field last season. "I would have never thought that. That's astonishing."

Black, who started his 15-year major league pitching career with the Mariners across the street at the since-razed Kingdome, and most of his players likely would have answered their home ballpark, long known as a hitter's haven.

However, there were 234 homers hit at sea-level Safeco Field in Seattle in 2016 compared to 215 at mile-high Coors Field in Denver.

"Coors Field is a good place to hit," Black said. "Even though they've made some changes to this ballpark, bringing in the fences to make it fair, that's just astonishing. I didn't think that would've been the case. They have had Felix (Hernandez) and some good pitchers here. That would be a great question for one of those trivia shows."

Nolan Arenado, the Rockies' All-Star third baseman who led the National League in home runs each of the past two seasons, also was surprised there were more homers hit at Safeco than at Coors.

"The last time I played (in Seattle) was in 2015, and I thought this was the hardest place to hit," Arenado said. "The thing with our ballpark is the ball flies. There are a lot of hits there, not just home-run hitting."

The Mariners, who spent the first two days of their two-city, four-game interleague series in Denver, had no better responses.

"We've got some good bats here, but that's remarkable," Mariners catcher Mike Zunino said. "After playing a couple of games there and seeing how the ball flies ..."

While Safeco Field led the majors in total home runs last season, Coors Field still held the title for the longest homers, with an average of 420.1 feet (compared to Safeco's 393.6 feet).

Perhaps the person with the best perspective would be Christian Bergman, who spent parts of the past three seasons pitching for Colorado before signing with Seattle in the offseason.

His take?

"I don't know," Bergman said. "The big difference at Coors Field is you aren't concerned about a lot of home runs hit, but since the outfield is so big, balls fall in. The way the ball the moves out of the pitcher's hand is different there. I don't know why here."

The task of limiting home runs on Thursday afternoon in the series finale will fall to Colorado left-hander Kyle Freeland (5-3, 3.43 ERA) and Seattle right-hander Yovani Gallardo (2-5, 5.76). Freeland has allowed five homers in his first 10 starts, and Gallardo has given up seven in the same span.

Gallardo will be making his 12th career appearance, and 11th start, against the Rockies, against whom he is 0-5 with a 5.70 ERA.

Freeland has yet to face the Mariners in his rookie season. He has been strong on the road, going 3-0 with a 2.89 ERA away from Coors Field.

The Mariners will be looking to sweep the home-and-home set after beating the Rockies for the third day in a row Wednesday, when James Paxton and three relievers combined on a four-hitter in a 5-0 victory.