Can I score my baguette on the seam-side to prevent it from splitting open along the sides or seams during baking?

The seams are, as you said, the weakest part of the dough. Everything is one skin, except for the seam, which was "stitched up", like a scar. Putting that "scar" on the bottom has the lowest chance of bursting.
However, if done properly, the seam should seal up and leave almost no mark.

If a bread bursts at the bottom, that is usually a sign of improper scoring. The steam can't all escape through the score, so it goes to the next weakest part and bursts out. Doesn't affect flavor, just doesn't look as pretty.

Your baguettes and crumb look really great, so I don't see anything wrong with that :)

Getting ears is in my experience just about scoring. You need to score at a quite low angle, like putting the blade just under the skin.

The following input is coming from someone who has struggled for some time getting consistent ears. Some of my many failures may be useful.

Bani is correct about the seam being placed down. And many bakers claim that lame angle, depth, the way you hold your mouth (:-)) is the secret to success. BUT, I am finding through much experience, that in order to get consistent ears the condition of the dough and also the baking conditions cannot be overlooked. You can score at every angle, using every lame known to man, and at every depth, BUT if the dough is not conditioned properly and/or the oven is not setup correctly, failure is the probable outcome.

• An expert baguette baker (alfanso) has taught me to start off with lower hydration dough. He recommends around 68% for white flour dough. His recommendation has served me well and given me a jump start on success.
• There can be no ear without good oven spring. Maximum oven spring needs proper fermentation and excellent gluten development. If the dough has over fermented the gas will have become exhausted by the time the dough hits the hot deck of the oven. Lean a little towards what you might think is under fermentation. If the gluten is not well developed the dough will not be able to contain the expanding gas, and max oven spring will be lost.
• The way in which you shape your dough will determine how tight the gluten skin will be. A tight skin will facilitate a dramatic ear. As the gas expands, the dough will fracture near the score line under the increasing pressure. Take a look at this video and spend some time studying it. Here is a link that you may find interesting.
• Lastly, the baking setup of your oven is very important to your success. Experimentation is called for. Too hot a bake and the crust will harden too soon. Once the crust hardens the bread will not be able to expand in order to create the ear. The direction that the heat comes from also makes a difference. Too much heat coming from the top downward will bake, and thus harden the crust too fast. On the other hand the oven must be hot enough to heat the dough quickly, which in turn will cause the gas within the dough to expand rapidly. This rapid expansion is what causes the fracture near the score line. You can see this with your natural eyes when looking through the oven window during the bake. Believe me, it is a glorious site!

I speak with authority, but not as a successful baker, but as one who has failed more times than I care to admit. The words of an experienced failure can provide some of the best help available.

A disclaimer - I am not good with ears on baguettes. They require a little different skill set that I have yet to acquire. Check out this link from David Synder, a resident expert. When it comes to baguettes, "alfanso" is hard to beat. Here is his blog.

I really hope the above hasn't discouraged you or anyone else. Bread baking is not rocket science, but it can take some trial and error.

I welcome the input and/or corrections of others. The truth of any matter is precious.

I hope some of this will help you. Success is a super sweet thing...

Danny

OH! It appears to me that the crust may have baked off too fast. A proper score will show a lighter colored crust in the bloom area near the score line. Or more likely, the dough never sprung enough to expand the crust in order to fracture near the score line. I can see that you have studied the proper scoring technique, buy the way your scores over lap. Very nice. You are on your way.

Once you figure out those baguettes,please promise to teach me :D

As mentioned, the dough will fracture at its weakest point - regardless of the shape of the dough.  Baguettes are amongst the harder of the breads to get a good grip on, and nothing, except sheer talent and some luck, will replace the time that one puts in to doing it "right".

If you want to experiment with a batch, or even a single baguette within a batch, then bake it without scoring and seam side up.  Just to see how it will react.  Breads are baked with the seam side down so that the baker has the final say about where the bread will "fracture" - the scoring for controlling that fracture or sets of fractures if you will.  

Whether the bread scores well and doesn't fracture is typically the result of whether you get a good seal on the seam of the bread.  And ensure that it is indeed face down on the baking surface.  Lower hydration doughs, let's say, below 68% hydration for an all AP flour bread will be "drier" and require a more robust seal.  The same would be true for higher hydration doughs employing more whole grain - the "thirstier" flours.  Higher hydration doughs, especially AP flour doughs, will seal well without the extra effort.  However, until your tasks become rote, one cannot overlook (double-check) what they do as they move toward the final step - the bake. 

Without that tight seal, face down on a well preheated baking surface and some good steam for the first phase of the bake, the chances of getting good scoring are lowered, or removed.  So that is your first task.  to ensure a good tight seal.

Discussion about scoring and the acquired skill will be for another day, but so far, you have been fed some pretty sturdy advice from the other commenters. 

 alan

Although I appreciate the free advertising, I'm no expert.  There are a fat handful of people on TFL over the years who do mighty mighty fine work when it comes to baguettes.  Some of them post, some don't very often.  I'm just a dude who has put the time in and *paid attention to detail* along the way.