On Sunday, the Seattle Mariners earned a tense 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. The win was extremely important for Seattle, who moved to within four games of Houston in the American League West race with 37 games to play.

Furthermore, the Mariners are just 2.0 games back in the wild card race, though the picture there is much more crowded.

Right-handed pitcher Bryan Woo earned the win on Sunday by throwing six strong innings and allowing just two earned runs. Woo, who has struggled mightily on the road this season, delivered 11 road innings against the New York Yankees and Astros in the first two legs of his road trip, only allowing the two earned runs. It was a huge step forward for Woo and a huge development for the Mariners, who are hoping to get to the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

However, Woo was removed after 75 pitches, and afterwards he spoke of "right shoulder discomfort." He said he wasn't concerned about the issue, and I'm choosing not to be as well - at least not yet.

I discussed this further on the most recent 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast:

"Anytime a pitcher tells me they're having some discomfort, I am going to be concerned for them. So yes, I am naturally nervy about what Bryan Woo had to say after this outing, but I am choosing not to be overly concerned yet.

Why? Because the Mariners let him stay in the game. And regardless of what you think about the Mariners and how they handle injuries, I do believe, in a lot of ways, they are pretty conservative when it comes to injuries, especially with pitchers.

We saw Logan Gilbert taken out last year at the first sign of any trouble in that game against the Marlins in late April. Sure, it was late April, not mid-August. I understand that. They took Logan Gilbert out at the first sign of any issue.

We've seen them be extra protective on the injured list with Bryce Miller and with George Kirby in 2025, especially Kirby.

We saw them take Emerson Hancock out in the first inning of the game against Tampa after he tried to feel that comebacker. They took him out right away...

I believe I was there in Houston last year. It was Friday night, Sept. 19. I remember it like it was yesterday. That series in which the Mariners ended up sweeping the Astros. That was a must-win series, and Friday night was Game 1 of it.

And Bryan Woo had thrown five shutout innings, and he goes out for inning number six in his warmups, and something wasn't right. They took him out instantly.

So, in a must-win game in September, the Mariners took Bryan Woo out of a game at the first sign of injury, at the first sign of discomfort. The history right now of the Mariners, at least recently, and the Dan Wilson era is that they are going to play this stuff extra conservative with their pitching..

Essentially, the fact that they let Bryan Woo stay in gives me some confidence and some optimism. Ultimately, what matters is how Bryan Woo felt Monday on the off day, and how he feels Tuesday at the ballpark."

Because of Monday's off day, Woo has an extra day to get right. He isn't scheduled to pitch until Saturday at home against the Chicago Cubs. Should Woo need to miss a start - or more - then we're all on Kade Anderson watch.

The top prospect in the organization has an ERA of 1.06 at Double-A Arkansas. He's scheduled to pitch on Friday, so he could be easily pushed back a day if the Mariners need it.

Seattle is 59-66 and will take on the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday afternoon at 4:40 p.m. PT. Bryce Miller takes the mound against left-hander Kyle Harrison.

The Brewers have the best record in the league.

The most recent edition of the 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast is out, featuring conversations about Jerry Dipoto, Colt Emerson, Dan Wilson, Bryan Woo and Brendan Donovan. You can listen here, or you can watch in the YouTube player below: