Bryan Woo Tells Mariners ‘Do Something About It’ as Season Slips

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Mariners’ playoff margin is shrinking fast. They are running out of time to straighten this out — and the clubhouse knows it. After a team meeting on Tuesday to “air out” frustrations, Seattle dropped its second straight to the Rays. On Wednesday, they were swept in Tampa Bay.

Pitcher Bryan Woo’s frustration with the slide is obvious.  

“You gotta be better. You gotta have more urgency,” Woo said. “I think all the guys in the locker room, especially the guys that have been here the last couple years, are sick and tired of what happens in August and September. It’s up to us to flip the script and do something about it.”

The numbers back up the frustration. Seattle has lost 14 of its last 20, slipping to 73–67 and just 1.5 games ahead of Texas for the final AL Wild Card spot. FanGraphs still gives them a 77% chance to reach October, but that figure was in the mid-90s just two weeks ago.

Woo made it clear that the message has to come from within.
“This is about as talented a team as anybody’s ever seen here,” he said. “But no one’s gonna give us any wins. We gotta go out there and take it.”

The stars are still producing. Cal Raleigh is up to 51 homers with a 155 wRC+. Julio Rodríguez sits at 28 HR, 24 steals, and a 121 wRC+. Randy Arozarena has matched him with a 25–25 season and a 124 wRC+. But the pitching staff has faltered. The rotation hasn’t gone deep enough, and the bullpen has buckled under heavy usage, leading to late-inning losses and ugly box scores.

Woo’s bluntness is fair and warranted. 

September collapses have defined the Mariners over the last two seasons. This time, the ball is in their court. If they want to stop the slide and keep their playoff hopes intact, they’ll have to do more than talk about it.