Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo works against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Mon Sep 18, 2023 (AP News photo)

Seattle (82-68). 0101 201 001 – 5. 9. 0

Oakland (46-104). 000 000 000 – 0. 5 0

Time:2:41

Attendance: 4,972

Monday, September 18, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–Oakland born Bryan Woo returned this evening to the town where his eyes first saw the light of day. The 26 year old righty, who was on the injured list from August 8 to 22 with an inflamed right forearm, started for the Seattle Mariners against the A’s, bringing a record of 3-4, 4.36 with him.

One of those victories came at the Athletics’ expense, when, on August 28, he shut them out for six innings on three hits in a game that the Mariners won, 5-0.

In spite of some difficulties in the first and fourth frames, Woo was pretty much lights out for the five innings he was in the game. He allowed three hits, all singles, struck out six, but issued four bases on balls. Still, he didn’t allow any runs. He threw 86 pitches, 53 for strikes and with the win improved his record to 3-4, 3.90.

Although the outcome of the game, a 5-0 whitewash of the hapless A’s, had no effect on the Athletics’ dismal place in the MLB standings, it was an important win for the visitors, who, once the final out was recorded, stood at 82-68, two games behind the Astros for first place in the AL West and a half a game out of the last wild card position.

The A’s sent sophomore southpaw JP Sears and his 5-11, 4.45 record against the M’s. In spite of his unsightly numbers Sears has shown signs of being a front line starter for some future team that the A’s will either trade him to or pack up and go to Las Vegas with. He toed the mound at 6:41 with a 2-0, 0.67 career mark against Seattle over five games, four as a starter.

Sears had problems with his control in the top of the first, loading the bases on two walks and a hit batter, but somehow managed to wiggle out of it unscathed. His control was better in the second, but Sam Haggerty led off with a single, advanced to second on José Caballero’s weak grounder to short, on which Nick Allen made a pretty pickup and throw, and then scored on a perfect piece of opposite field hitting, JP Crawford’s two single to right.

Sears managed to avoid serious damage in the second and third, but Seattle put another two runs on the board in the fourth on Dylan Moore’s solid single to center and José Caballero’s no doubt about it 437 foot blast into the left field seats, his eighth round tripper of the year.

Oakland’s starter recovered to pitch a perfect fifth, but a Caballero single and steal of second, followed by a double by Luis Torrens in the sixth brought in Seattle’s fourth run and sent Sears to the showers. Kyle Muller relieved him with two outs and ended the inning. He stayed on and shut out the M’s until faltering in the ninth and surrendering the visitors’ fifth and final tally.

Sears had lasted 5-2/3 frames, in which he threw 89 pitches, 53 for strikes. The four runs he allowed were earned and came on six hits, four balls, and a hit batter. The loss left him at 5-12, 4.52. Tayler Salcedo pitched a scoreless bottom of the sixth in relief of Woo, and Justin Topa put the A’s down in order in the seventh and gave way to Trent Thornton.

The A’s couldn’t score on him either, but Esteury Ruiz, who had pinch hit for Seth Brown in the sixth, did manage to single and then steals of second and third, bringing his season’s pilferage total to 61.

Isaiah Campbell mopped up for Seattle with a scoreless ninth.

Tuesday, at 6:40pm PT the gang from the Puget Sound will start Luis Castillo (13-7, 3.08) against the East Bay’s Paul Blackburn (4-5 ERA 4.14).