Staring pitcher Bryan Woo was pulled from the opening game of the Seattle Mariners’ crucial three-game series with the Houston Astros early after tossing warmup pitches before the start of the bottom of the sixth inning.

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Woo was at just 67 pitches as he prepared to face the Astros in the sixth, but was met on the mound by manager Dan Wilson and team trainers before being abruptly pulled from the game. The right-hander had spun five shutout innings, striking out seven and allowed only one hit and one walk.

There was no immediate update on Woo’s status.

Right-hander Eduard Bazardo came in to replace Woo and worked around an error for a scoreless inning to preserve Seattle’s 2-0 lead.

Woo has emerged as the ace of a talen

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