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Bryan Woo’s “Too Fastball Heavy” Start and Schwarber’s 40th HR Blew The Doors Off at T-Mobile Park

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Philadelphia Phillies logo on gradient background — Created by the Sports On Tap desk | Source : Sports On Tap (team logos property of their respective owners)

The Mariners just got absolutely hammered 6-0 by the Phillies on Wednesday afternoon, a brutal series finale at T-Mobile Park where Bryan Woo got rocked for two homers and six runs before our guys even had a second at-bat. This was supposed to be about putting the squeeze on the Astros and Rangers, not watching our pitcher get shelled in front of the home crowd.

Woo’s Fastball Couldn’t Stop the Damage

Bryan Woo’s outing Wednesday was a brutal wake-up call, no doubt about it. Philadelphia absolutely jumped all over him in the top of the first, with Kyle Schwarber ripping a ground-rule double to kick things off. Woo managed a couple of strikeouts, but then he left an elevated fastball hanging right over the plate for Bryce Harper. And you know what Harper does with those: he absolutely crushed it over the wall in left-center! Julio Rodríguez gave it his all, stretching out, but it was just out of reach. Boom, we were down 2-0 before we could even blink.

But wait, it got worse. The second inning was a real nightmare. The Phillies came out swinging again, putting the first two hitters on base to start the frame. Justin Crawford then singled on a ground ball through the right side, tacking on another run. Then, Kyle Schwarber stepped up and just blew the game wide open. He punished a fastball over the heart of the plate for his league-leading 40th homer of the year. Just like that, it was 6-0, and the M’s hadn’t even had a chance to swing for the second time. Can you believe it? Six runs before our second at-bat!

It’s a real gut punch, especially since we were all watching his health after he missed his last start with shoulder discomfort. Thankfully, his stuff wasn’t totally gone. He still punched out five hitters and generated 10 whiffs, topping out at 99 mph across four innings. Woo himself owned it after the game, saying he just got “too fastball heavy.” He felt the fastball “did have life and feels good,” but admitted you “got to pitch as well, especially with a lineup like that, with veteran hitters that are…smart.” He summed it up perfectly: “too much throwing, not enough pitching.” He even felt physically better as the game went on, which is at least a positive, I guess?

No Regulars, No Hits, No Hope

While Woo was battling (and getting pummeled) on the mound, our offense just couldn’t get anything going. To be fair, the M’s didn’t roll out their absolute best lineup, with several regular starters getting days off. With a series win already in the bank and a lefty on the mound for the Phillies, management probably figured it was a good time to rest some guys and load up on righties. But man, the offensive output was exactly what you’d expect from a patchwork lineup: next to nothing.

The Mariners went four whole innings without even sniffing a hit. Jhonny Pereda finally broke the ice with a two-out single in the fifth, but that was literally one of only *two* hits the entire day. Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo was absolutely dealing, striking out nine and only giving up that one measly hit over seven innings. Even when our guys made decent contact, the Phillies infield was just flashing the leather all over the place. Nothing was getting through. It was just one of those days where everything went wrong, offensively and defensively.

This one absolutely stings, especially when we were hoping to stomp on the gas and really “turn the screws” on the Astros and Rangers. Taking the series was solid, don’t get me wrong, but you simply cannot have these kinds of blowouts, not now. The Emerald City deserves better than watching a 6-0 deficit before the second inning even wraps up. Let’s shake this off, figure out the pitching mix for next time, and get back to making some real noise. We gotta show those top teams that this squad means serious business.

This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.

Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.

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