Inside The Mariners

Key Seattle Mariners Starter Set to Make Return

Bryan Woo will make his return for the Seattle Mariners on Friday against the Los Angeles Angels; it will be his first start since June 24 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Teren Kowatsch

Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo reacts at the end of the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on June 24 at Tropicana Field.
Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo reacts at the end of the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on June 24 at Tropicana Field. / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
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The Seattle Mariners' pitching staff will be finally back to full strength this week, and it couldn't happen at a better time.

Mariners starter Bryan Woo is set to start for Game 2 of the team's four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday, according to several reports from MLB.com's Daniel Kramer and the Seattle Time's Ryan Divish.

Woo was placed on the 15-day injured list after suffering a right hamstring strain on June 24 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Woo made a rehab start on July 6 with the team's High-A Everett AquaSox and went 2.2 innings. He let up a two-run home run but also struck out two batters.

Seattle manager Scott Servais mentioned in a pregame interview on July 4 that he expected Woo to make another rehab start. But Woo felt physically well enough after the rehab assignment for the Mariners to throw him back into the rotation before the All-Star Break.

When Woo returns, the second-year pitcher might even have more to his arsenal than he did when he went on the IL.

Woo revealed in a postgame interview with Chad Greaby (from Everett) after his rehab start that he's working on a new slider.

"I was trying to throw (the new slider) a lot," Woo said in the interview. "I've been throwing the two fastballs a lot this year, but I'm always trying to refine the off-speed stuff and make them a little bit more effective. But overall, really happy with how today went."

According to Baseball Savant, Woo's top two pitches are a four-seam fastball, which he's thrown 53.5% of the time and a sinker which he's thrown at a 26.5% rate. Only six percent of his pitches this season have been sliders.

Woo will enter Friday's start with a 1.77 ERA and 28 strikeouts in eight starts this year. He will face former Seattle pitcher Tyler Anderson, who has a 2.81 ERA this season with 77 strikeouts in 18 starts.

Woo's activation off the IL will come with a corresponding roster move due to the Mariners being at the 40-man roster limit.

Related Stories on Seattle Mariners

MARINERS PITCHER GETS EXCELLENT UPDATE: Seattle Manager Scott Servais provided a positive update on Bryan Woo's availability for a four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels. CLICK HERE

MARINERS PITCHING PROSPECT GETS RECOGNIZED: Brandyn Garcia of the Seattle Mariners' Double-A Arkansas Travelers was named the Texas League Pitcher of the Week on Monday. CLICK HERE

MARINERS SHUT OUT PADRES: Pitching continued to prove itself as the strength of the Seattle Mariners as their staff combined for a 2-0 shutout against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday at Petco Park in San Diego. CLICK HERE

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Teren Kowatsch

TEREN KOWATSCH

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