PITTSBURGH -- Manager Dan Wilson found a silver lining in a dark cloud-type game.
The Mariners suffered an 11-1 loss to the Pirates on Wednesday night in the middle game of a three-game series at PNC Park. Thursday’s finale is scheduled for 12:35 p.m. ET, the type of early start players generally hate because they are late risers.
However, Wilson feels lunchtime will be the right time for a ballgame following Wednesday’s drubbing.
“Just put it behind us and come back tomorrow,” Wilson said. “It’s a quick turnaround, so we can come right back in the morning and try to win the series, and not have to think too long about this one.”
A helping of bacon and eggs might get the taste of a 10-run loss out of most Mariners’ mouths. It won’t be so easy for right-hander Bryan Woo, who has had an inconsistent season.
Woo started Wednesday’s game with three hitless innings, but then he fell apart in a five-run fourth. Wilson did not send Woo back out for the fifth inning after the Pirates also reeled off six hits in the fourth.
Woo has been searching for consistency. He thought he found it last Thursday, when he pitched seven-plus scoreless innings against the Orioles at T-Mobile Park. That start came on the heels of getting tagged for 12 runs over 11 1/3 innings in his two previous outings.
The right-hander then carried the consistency over for three innings on Wednesday before everything fell apart.
When asked by reporters what happened in the fourth, Woo took a deep breath and paused for 15 seconds before answering.
“Honestly, if I had answers for you, I’d have answers for myself,” Woo said. “It seems like I’m always digging for answers. I’m looking everywhere. I just don’t know. I wish I had a better answer than that. I’m staying on, thinking pitch-to-pitch. That’s when I’m operating at my best, but it’s difficult when things aren’t going well.”
Woo was refreshingly candid when asked if he could just put Wednesday’s performance aside and get ready for the next start, which will likely be against the Angels on Monday night in Seattle.
“I wish I could say I could just wipe the slate clean and say I’m going to get ready for the next one, but I’m not,” Woo said. “When you keep putting your team in a hole, it’s hard to brush it aside.”
Woo has had plenty of success since breaking into the Major Leagues in 2023 -- sporting a 34-21 career record and a 3.41 ERA. He was a 15-game winner and a first-time All-Star in ‘25.
“It kind of comes down to one inning most of the time, and usually something kind of doesn’t go his way,” Wilson said. “It’s tough, and he’s frustrated, as are we. He’s making his adjustments, and he’ll figure it out just like all good pitchers do.”