Dylan Moore hit a two-run homer and achieved his highest RBI count in a game with five to help them secure an 8-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Friday night.
Although the Mariners bounced back with a win at the start of a short homestand following three losses in four games in Minnesota, the main concern was around starting pitcher Bryan Woo, who left the game with one out in the fifth inning.
Woo, who was making his first start of the season after dealing with elbow soreness during spring training, was removed from the game as a precaution due to tightness in his right arm. Despite allowing just one hit in the first four innings, Woo exited the game after Tyler Soderstrom fouled out behind third base to begin the fifth inning.
Woo recorded three strikeouts and one walk, throwing 62 pitches. The tightness occurred after a long period on the bench as the Mariners scored five runs in the fourth inning against Oakland starter Paul Blackburn.
Manager Scott Servais stated that they anticipate Woo will be ready for his next start and praised his performance before leaving the game.
“He was excellent,” Servais commented. “I thought he pitched really well. When he went out for the fifth inning, it was a long inning — we scored runs before that — and his arm was just tight. It wasn’t loose, and there’s no reason to push it at this point.”
Trent Thornton (1-1), Kirby Snead, and Cody Bolton kept the shutout going until the ninth inning when Lawrence Butler’s two-out RBI single off Austin Voth scored Oakland’s lone run.
After a smooth start in the first three innings, Blackburn (3-2) encountered trouble immediately in the fourth, walking Mitch Haniger and Cal Raleigh.
Luke Raley narrowly missed hitting a three-run homer and settled for an RBI double off the top of the wall. Ty France followed with a two-run double, and Moore capped off the inning with his third homer of the season, just inside the left field foul pole.
