Mariners optimistic about Bryan Woo’s availability for ALDS

SEATTLE – Right-hander Bryan Woo appears to be trending in the right direction for the American League Division Series.

Seattle Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said Sunday there is “a good deal of optimism” that Woo will be a part of the club’s rotation for their first playoff series, which will start at home with Game 1 on Saturday. 

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“Yesterday, the highlight of my day was walking in the training room and he had a smile and said, ‘I felt great,'” Dipoto said. “So that’s good for me, and the trainers weren’t particularly concerned. … He is a huge part of what we do, so pretty important that he’s there.”

The 25-year-old Woo has been AL West-champion Seattle’s most effective and durable pitcher this year as its talent-stocked starting rotation dealt with key injuries to Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Bryce Miller throughout the season. His career highs of 186 2/3 innings pitched and 198 strikeouts each lead the team. He also leads the club with 21 quality starts while posting a 15-7 record and 2.94 ERA, the latter of which is fifth-best among qualified AL starters.

But Woo left his most recent start Sept. 19 against the Houston Astros with pectoral inflammation after warming up for the sixth inning. He was at just 67 pitches and hadn’t allowed a run.

Woo missed his next scheduled start Thursday against the Colorado Rockies and instead played some light catch on the field pregame.

Dipoto said he was unsure if Woo would face batters when the Mariners hold six-inning intrasquad scrimmages open to the public Wednesday and Thursday at T-Mobile Park.

The Mariners have a plan in place for Woo for the ALDS, but they are waiting to see him throw a bullpen or face live pitching before finalizing a decision. That choice will impact how the club lines up the rest of its starters for its first playoff series.

“We have a lot of really easy choices,” Dipoto said. “You can’t go wrong with who we pick, but we’ve had some initial meetings on how we want to line that up. It won’t be necessarily geared towards who’s your No. 1 starter, but who we feel is most rested, best positioned, and where does Bryan slot in? And we can’t really make the other decisions until we have a better idea of where Bryan will slot.”

Ultimately, Dipoto feels Seattle’s rotation, which has been a full strength for just over a month now, is in a good spot heading into October.

“I think Logan had a really nice September and rose up. You can’t be much better than George has been in his last handful of starts with his stuff playing out the way it has. And from the time when we got to Atlanta when the rest of the team picked it up, I’m not sure if anyone picked it up more than (Luis Castillo) did,” Dipoto said. “… For us to go when a World Series, that group is pivotal to what we do. It’s so much a part of our identity (and) our personality.”

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