Woo, four-run ninth key in Mariners' victory

SAN FRANCISCO -- Bryan Woo looked as composed as could be despite pitching in front of a large crowd that included more than 100 friends and family. The Mariners’ “baserunning bandit,” as one teammate referenced, struck again, as José Caballero’s pesky antics helped spark a ninth-inning rally. And throughout Monday night at Oracle Park, Seattle kept the pressure on against the Giants’ high-caliber arms for a 6-5 victory that required every last pitch.

“I feel like we never let it off,” Julio Rodríguez said. “I know it was a tight game throughout, but we never let it off.”

The Mariners are now on their first win streak of at least three games since winning four straight against the last-place A’s six weeks ago. And this represents just their third streak with that many victories all year.

Here’s how their well-rounded efforts on Monday came together:

The ninth-inning gut punch
J.P. Crawford skied a 319-foot sac fly to break a 2-2 tie, Rodríguez ripped a double to add two more and Teoscar Hernández punched an opposite-field single for good measure -- all against closer Camilo Doval. The four earned runs against the Giants’ lone All-Star selection were the most he’s allowed in his career, and he leads MLB with 24 saves.

But it was a sound plate approach and aggressive baserunning that set up those moments, headlined by Caballero.

The speedster pinch-ran for Mike Ford after a one-out single, stole second base before Ty France was hit by a 99.2 mph fastball then swiped third standing before Doval threw a wild pitch. He was positioned to take off after noticing the Giants using a wheel play on consecutive pitches when Kolten Wong attempted a sacrifice bunt, leaving third wide open.

But after Caballero reached third, Wong went to a full swing and chipped a routine grounder to first, prompting Caballero to race nearly halfway to the plate and draw a throw from first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. to third instead of simply stepping on first.

And everybody was safe, thus sparking the go-ahead rally.

“I wanted for him to pay attention to me instead of turning a double play there,” Caballero said. “I know it would've been hard to turn a double play, but I wanted to get a big lead so he sees me and maybe he just takes the out at first or something. I didn't expect him to throw to third.”

The pressure was on all night
The Mariners didn’t have much in the box score against Logan Webb. But they forced the Giants’ ace out with two outs in the seventh after Rodríguez beat out a would-be double play that scored Wong, who had ripped a one-out single then advanced to third on a liner in the gap from Crawford.

They also broke a scoreless tie against Webb in the fourth when the righty spiked a changeup for a wild pitch in an 0-2 count against Dylan Moore, which allowed Hernández to score from third -- also with the bases loaded.

The Mariners struck out 11 times against Webb but also had nine baserunners.

“I thought the approach was good all night, to be honest with you,” manager Scott Servais said. “Webb has got really good stuff. ... We figured it would be a tight game.”

Woo wows in return home
The Mariners were only in the tight tilt thanks to an impressive performance by Woo, who grew up across the Bay a huge Giants fan and who had a massive crowd of family and friends in attendance -- including his 93-year-old grandfather, who was watching him for the first time in person.

Woo twirled six innings, a mark he reached just twice at Double-A Arkansas before debuting in the Majors on June 3. His lone blemish was a fastball way above the zone that Blake Sabol crushed for a two-run homer in the fourth.

“You can't really be mad at making a pitch like that and just kind of tip your cap and try to get on to the next guy,” said Woo, who other than the homer, gave up just two hits and two walks among 23 batters faced, while striking out seven. And he retired each of his final seven batters after the homer.

Since surrendering six earned runs in his MLB debut in Arlington, Woo has given up just five earned runs in 26 2/3 innings (2.36 ERA) in his ensuing five starts.