SEATTLE -- The Mariners have adamantly maintained that they will rigorously monitor the workload of Bryan Woo, even if it means relieving him at a more-modest-than-expected pitch count on nights when the righty is dominating.

Such were the stakes during a 5-4 win at T-Mobile Park on Friday night, when Woo needed just 66 pitches to carve through the Angels over six shutout innings. The Mariners¡¯ bats had backed him for a four-run lead and their bullpen was riding a scoreless streak of 15 innings.

So, at that point, Woo was relieved -- not a major surprise to those that have followed his situation closely, but a departure that nonetheless drew attention given how efficient and effective he was. Yet, it was a decision that became more exacerbated after Trent Thornton loaded the bases with two walks and a double and Tayler Saucedo surrendered a game-tying grand slam in the seventh.

Ty France then saved the day with a massive, 417-foot, go-ahead homer in the eighth that capped a 3-for-3 night.

Postgame, Mariners manager Scott Servais tersely -- and unapologetically -- explained the calculus behind Woo¡¯s workload, and how it drastically differs from the rest of the rotation.

¡°There's a reason that we treat him the way we do,¡± Servais said. ¡°And I won't get into all the details on that. ... People get caught up in a pitch count. Watch the game. Know the players. It's just a number. And some guys, that means a lot -- and other guys, it doesn't mean anything.¡±

Woo was dealing with what Servais called ¡°arm stuff¡± coming out of his last start at Washington on Sunday, which led to him not throwing an in-between bullpen session. Instead, Woo worked on other things to keep his arm as fresh as could be, given the limitations.

¡°If you don't throw a bullpen in between, you're going to shock your body a lot when you go out for start days,¡± Woo said. ¡°It's a lot of pitches at a really high intensity. So, it's more of like, supplementing it a little bit throughout the week. ... It¡¯s definitely not something I want to continue to do moving forward. But you do what you¡¯ve got to do to make sure you're ready for start days.¡±

The club¡¯s commentary on Woo runs parallel to how delicate they intend to treat him. He¡¯s proven to be a vital piece, as the Mariners are undefeated when he pitches. His small sample of just five starts has also produced a 1.30 ERA, 0.58 WHIP and .364 OPS against.

Even within a loaded rotation, the Mariners need him.

¡°We're trying to do what's best for our team long-term; we're trying to win the American League West,¡± Servais said. ¡°And if you can't rely on bullpen guys night in and night out and keep guys healthy, then you're not going to win it.¡±

Specifically, Woo cited a ¡°grindy stretch¡± dating back to the Mariners¡¯ 10-game East Coast road trip, where he pitched on just four days¡¯ rest for only the second time this season. He went on five days¡¯ rest leading into his dominant start at Yankee Stadium on May 21 and had been stretched out to once per week during a rehab assignment at Triple-A Tacoma, after beginning the year on the IL due to right elbow inflammation.

¡°Nothing that I'm concerned about,¡± Woo said. ¡°Just kind of the way it went this week. Injuries are never fun to deal with, but you kind of just find a way to be ready to go on start day.¡±

He¡¯ll have at least an extra day¡¯s rest his next turn through, and potentially two, as the Mariners eye their first off-day on Monday, after 17 straight games. It could also allow them to re-slot their rotation and inject him at the back end, to potentially next Saturday at Kansas City.

¡°There's things that come up throughout the course of the season, and you have to listen to your players and stay in tune with them,¡± Servais said. ¡°And we do an awesome job.

¡°Everybody wants to get caught up in a pitch count. I don't care. I'm trying to take care of our guys, and we're trying to do something special here. And what drives this train is our starting pitching, and we can't ever forget that.¡±

One certainty is that Woo¡¯s situation will be the topic of conversation on each of his start days.