Mariners All-Star Bryan Woo to miss Thursday start with pectoral tightness as playoffs approach

SEATTLE (AP) — Mariners All-Star right-hander Bryan Woo will not make his scheduled start on Thursday night against the Colorado Rockies due to pectoral tightness, Seattle general manager Justin Hollander said Tuesday.

Woo exited his most recent start, a 4-0 win against the Houston Astros last Friday, after throwing a couple of warmup pitches in the sixth inning. Hollander said Woo is doing well, and that he will not start Thursday mostly because his routine has been broken up.

“He’s in a really good mental place right now,” Hollander said. “He was very disappointed Friday postgame, just with the uncertainty and he really wanted to go dominate the entirety of the game, and he was on pace to do that. And the way he has felt the last couple of days has been very encouraging to him and to us. So hopefully he throws tomorrow or the next day.”

Hollander said there are no plans to put Woo on the injured list. If Woo were added to the IL, he would have to serve a full 15-day stint, which would stretch into the postseason. The Mariners have six regular-season games left.

“At this time of the year, we’re not blind to the context of what 15 days means,” Hollander said. “But he’s also doing really well, and we don’t think he’ll need 15 days. So, even if we were in June, I don’t think he would need IL placement right now.”

The Mariners (87-69) could clinch a playoff berth as soon as Tuesday and win the AL West outright by Wednesday. Seattle was to begin a three-game series on Tuesday against the major league-worst Rockies and entered play with a three-game lead over Houston in the division.

Seattle had won 14 of 15 going into Tuesday night, giving manager Dan Wilson's squad a cushion that will allow Woo to return when he's ready.

“I think it’s a smart thing to do at this point and get him back to where he needs to be, and I think it’s a smart move all around,” Wilson said. “He continues to get stronger, and we’ll just continue to monitor as we go. But obviously, it’s the prudent thing to do at this point.”

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