Why Mariners pulled Bryan Woo after just 66 pitches

SEATTLE -- The Mariners have adamantly maintained that they will rigorously monitor the workload of Bryan Woo, even if it means relieving him at a more-modest-than-expected pitch count on nights when the righty is dominating.

Such were the stakes during a 5-4 win at T-Mobile Park on Friday night, when Woo needed just 66 pitches to carve through the Angels over six shutout innings. The Mariners’ bats had backed him for a four-run lead and their bullpen was riding a scoreless streak of 15 innings.

So, at that point, Woo was relieved -- not a major surprise to those that have followed his situation closely, but a departure that nonetheless drew attention given how efficient and effective he was. Yet, it was a decision that became more exacerbated after Trent Thornton loaded the bases with two walks and a double and Tayler Saucedo surrendered a game-tying grand slam in the seventh.

Ty France then saved the day with a massive, 417-foot, go-ahead homer in the eighth that capped a 3-for-3 night.

Postgame, Mariners manager Scott Servais tersely -- and unapologetically -- explained the calculus behind Woo’s workload, and how it drastically differs from the rest of the rotation.

“There's a reason that we treat him the way we do,” Servais said. “And I won't get into all the details on that. ... People get caught up in a pitch count. Watch the game. Know the players. It's just a number. And some guys, that means a lot -- and other guys, it doesn't mean anything.”

Woo was dealing with what Servais called “arm stuff” coming out of his last start at Washington on Sunday, which led to him not throwing an in-between bullpen session. Instead, Woo worked on other things to keep his arm as fresh as could be, given the limitations.

“If you don't throw a bullpen in between, you're going to shock your body a lot when you go out for start days,” Woo said. “It's a lot of pitches at a really high intensity. So, it's more of like, supplementing it a little bit throughout the week. ... It’s definitely not something I want to continue to do moving forward. But you do what you’ve got to do to make sure you're ready for start days.”

The club’s commentary on Woo runs parallel to how delicate they intend to treat him. He’s proven to be a vital piece, as the Mariners are undefeated when he pitches. His small sample of just five starts has also produced a 1.30 ERA, 0.58 WHIP and .364 OPS against.

Even within a loaded rotation, the Mariners need him.

“We're trying to do what's best for our team long-term; we're trying to win the American League West,” Servais said. “And if you can't rely on bullpen guys night in and night out and keep guys healthy, then you're not going to win it.”

Specifically, Woo cited a “grindy stretch” dating back to the Mariners’ 10-game East Coast road trip, where he pitched on just four days’ rest for only the second time this season. He went on five days’ rest leading into his dominant start at Yankee Stadium on May 21 and had been stretched out to once per week during a rehab assignment at Triple-A Tacoma, after beginning the year on the IL due to right elbow inflammation.

“Nothing that I'm concerned about,” Woo said. “Just kind of the way it went this week. Injuries are never fun to deal with, but you kind of just find a way to be ready to go on start day.”

He’ll have at least an extra day’s rest his next turn through, and potentially two, as the Mariners eye their first off-day on Monday, after 17 straight games. It could also allow them to re-slot their rotation and inject him at the back end, to potentially next Saturday at Kansas City.

“There's things that come up throughout the course of the season, and you have to listen to your players and stay in tune with them,” Servais said. “And we do an awesome job.

“Everybody wants to get caught up in a pitch count. I don't care. I'm trying to take care of our guys, and we're trying to do something special here. And what drives this train is our starting pitching, and we can't ever forget that.”

One certainty is that Woo’s situation will be the topic of conversation on each of his start days.