Mariners vs. Athletics: Garver gets big, Woo makes franchise history, and the offense heats up early

Best Pitcher: Bryan Woo

6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

While the bats struggled, the Mariners rotation dazzled. Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, and George Kirby combined for 20 strikeouts and just one walk over 18 innings. Woo's outing stood out for allowing no earned runs and just two hits. He had eight swinging strikes, five of which were on his four-seam fastball and three of which were on his sinker. He also had 14 called strikes, ten of which were from his four-seam fastball.

With this outing, Woo now holds the record for the lowest ERA (1.07) through six starts in franchise history, beating out Randy Johnson's 1.21 mark from 1995. He's striking out fewer players than he did in 2023 but his 1.7% walk rate and 2.2% barrel rate are allowing him to post unprecedented numbers. He'll inevitably begin to regress as the season goes on but it's been a great start for the team's #5 pitcher.

Honorable Mention: Logan Gilbert

7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

Gilbert had a great outing in the second game of the series despite the offense not being able to get it done. He had 12 swings and misses, evenly split across several pitches, and did a good job of limiting damage despite conceding five hits, one of which was a home run to Zack Gelof.

He's having a strong start to his year, posting a 3.12 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over 83 ⅔ innings. His slider continues to be the best pitch in his arsenal by run value while opposing batters are averaging just .105 against his splitter.