The Seattle Mariners close out another home date at T-Mobile Park on Thursday, September 24, when they host the Los Angeles Angels in a 9:40 p.m. ET first pitch. Bryan Woo takes the mound for Seattle opposite Grayson Rodriguez for Los Angeles. With the regular season winding into its final week, every game carries real weight in the standings race, making this a matchup neither club can afford to treat as a throwaway.

Pitching Matchup: Bryan Woo vs. Grayson Rodriguez

Bryan Woo gets the nod for Seattle, and the right-hander has been one of the more intriguing arms in the Mariners rotation this season. Woo's stuff — a sharp fastball paired with a devastating splitter — gives opposing lineups a different look than most of what they see across a full week. He will need to command the zone early and limit deep counts against an Angels lineup that has had its share of struggles but is capable of putting crooked numbers on the board when a starter loses focus.

Grayson Rodriguez makes the trip north for Los Angeles. Rodriguez has the pure arm talent to keep any lineup honest, and the Mariners will need to stay disciplined in the box and work counts rather than chase early in the at-bat. Seattle's lineup can be patient when it wants to be, and that patience will be the difference against a pitcher of Rodriguez's caliber.

Seattle Mariners Starting Lineup

• J.P. Crawford — SS
• Randy Arozarena — LF
• Dominic Canzone — DH
• Cal Raleigh — C
• Julio Rodríguez — CF
• Josh Naylor — 1B
• Cole Young — 2B
• Lazaro Montes — RF
• Leo Rivas — 3B

Keys to Watch for the Mariners

Cal Raleigh in the Heart of the Order

Raleigh batting cleanup is no accident. The catcher has been Seattle's most consistent run producer, and his ability to drive the ball to all fields gives the Mariners genuine middle-of-the-order threat. If Rodriguez tries to live off the edges, Raleigh has shown he can lay off borderline pitches and punish anything left over the plate.

Julio Rodríguez and the Bottom Third

J-Rod dropping to fifth in this lineup is notable. With Cole Young, Lazaro Montes, and Leo Rivas slotted seventh through ninth, manager Scott Servais is clearly looking to manufacture opportunities from the bottom of the order and let the lineup turn over with runners on base. Young and Montes are worth watching — both are players whose development matters beyond just tonight's result.

Woo's Pitch Efficiency

Woo is at his best when he is working quickly and getting weak contact early in counts. If he lets the Angels extend at-bats, his pitch count climbs and the bullpen gets taxed. Seattle's 'pen has work to do down the stretch, so a deep start from Woo would be significant.

Prediction

This figures to be a tight, low-scoring game — the kind T-Mobile Park seems to produce when a capable starter is on the mound for the home side. Woo keeping the Angels in check through six innings is a realistic expectation, and if the Mariners can plate two or three runs against Rodriguez, that should be enough. Seattle wins, 3-1.