SEATTLE (Interstat) – Bryan Woo pitched six strong innings and the Seattle Mariners used a three-run first inning to defeat the Baltimore Orioles 3-0 on Thursday evening at T-Mobile Park, earning a split of the four-game series.

Woo allowed three hits, walked one and struck out six in his six innings of work, improving his record to 6-5. The right-hander faced only one batter over the minimum after the first inning, retiring 16 of the final 17 hitters he faced. Andrés Muñoz pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 12th save of the season.

Shane Baz took the loss for Baltimore, falling to 4-7. Baz worked four innings, giving up three runs – two earned – on four hits and two walks, striking out five. The Orioles’ bullpen combined for four scoreless innings.

The game was decided in the bottom of the first. After J.P. Crawford grounded out and Cal Raleigh struck out, Josh Naylor singled to right field and advanced to second when right fielder Leody Taveras committed a fielding error. Dominic Canzone walked, and Cole Young followed with a double down the left-field line, scoring Naylor and sending Canzone to third. Colt Emerson then singled to right, driving in Canzone and Young to make it 3-0. Emerson’s hit came after a challenge by Seattle – the original call on the field was overturned, and the inning continued.

Seattle’s early outburst was enough for Woo, who allowed only two Baltimore runners to reach scoring position. The Orioles’ best chance came in the fifth inning when Colton Cowser singled with one out, but Blaze Alexander flied out to end the inning. In the eighth, Leody Taveras singled and Cowser walked, but Alexander grounded into a force out and Jackson Holliday flied out.

Baltimore’s lineup managed just three hits: a double by Jackson Holliday in the third inning, a single by Cowser in the fifth and a single by Taveras in the eighth. The Orioles struck out 14 times as a team, with Woo, Eduard Bazardo and Muñoz combining for nine strikeouts. Bazardo pitched a scoreless seventh inning with one strikeout.

Cole Young drove in the only run credited to a Seattle batter, finishing 1 for 3 with the double and an RBI. Victor Robles went 1 for 3 with a single in the second inning, and Miles Mastrobuoni was 1 for 3 with a single. J.P. Crawford finished 0 for 4, Cal Raleigh went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, Dominic Canzone was 0 for 3 with a walk, Mitch Garver went 0 for 3 and Josh Naylor went 1 for 4 with a single.

The shutout was Baltimore’s seventh of the season and dropped the Orioles to 35-41. The Mariners improved to 39-37 and remain in contention in the American League West.

Seattle won two of the three games in this series after dropping the opener Wednesday. Baltimore had won the previous three meetings between the clubs earlier this month at Oriole Park, but the Mariners have now taken two straight. The Orioles head to Los Angeles for a three-game series against the Dodgers starting Friday, while the Mariners open a three-game set at home against the Boston Red Sox.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Seattle Mariners 4, Baltimore Orioles 3. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Seattle with a 58.10 percent probability to win. Seattle had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 3 went over the over/under line of 8.