By Paul L. Taylor Posted on

Mariners complete strong road trip but Matt Brash causes concern

Matt Brash left Wednesday’s series finale in Minnesota after just two pitches and the Mariners aren’t ruling out a stint on the Injured List.

Even at this stage of the season, it was accepted that the Mariners’ six-game road trip in St. Louis and Minnesota was crucial. They entered the stretch with a 11-15 record and had only won one of nine games away from home up to that point.

The Mariners responded with their most impressive run of the season to date, sweeping the Cardinals and then taking two of three against the Twins to return home back at .500, with a 16-16 record. However, as has often been the case with this franchise, not everything was allowed to go their way, with Matt Brash forced to leave Wednesday’s rubber match in Minnesota after just two pitches in the bottom of the eighth, due to right side discomfort.

After Brash threw a changeup which was way off the plate, Mariners manager Dan Wilson and assistant athletic trainer Kevin Orloski visited the mound. After conferring with the righty, he was removed from the game and replaced by Gabe Speier.

Matt Brash admits the issue had bothered him for a couple of days prior to Wednesday’s outing

Postgame, Brash spoke to the media and said he was okay, but what was telling was his admission that he’d been dealing with the right side soreness prior to Wednesday’s outing. He said:

“I’ve just been dealing with some side stuff for a couple days now, and it bugged me a little bit yesterday at my outing. And then I felt fine pre-game today, but kind of as soon as I tried to put more effort on the ball, I was feeling it pretty good.”

Brash felt bad about having to come out of the game and put Speier in a really tough spot on such short notice, but he knew as soon as he threw the changeup that he couldn’t continue. He said:

“I couldn’t really get my arm into the right spot that I needed to compete. So, it felt really weird coming out of the game. I’d never done that before. I didn’t really want to. But I just felt like at that point, I couldn’t really compete to my best ability and would more hurt the team than anything, kind of going up there with my 80 percent effort.”

The 27-year-old was then asked if he’d experienced any side issues previously, essentially alluding to if this is going to be an ongoing problem. He said:

“No not really. I mean, it’s been bugging me a little bit this past week, but nothing that’s affected me in the game. I take it day by day. I go from here and try and figure it out. I don’t think it’s anything super serious that I’m super concerned about it. I was just being extra cautious and not wanting to make it any worse.”

Mariners will consider all options including a stint on the IL

As much as Brash is playing down the seriousness of the issue, the Mariners are going to deal with this situation carefully. He will have a full evaluation by team doctors back in Seattle on Thursday and nothing will be ruled out, including a possible stint on the Injured List.

What’s frustrating about this whole situation is that Brash and the Mariners have done their best to keep him fresh, including his decision not to pitch for Team Canada in the World Baseball classic. He was used sparingly during spring training and didn’t pitch in any back-to-back days during their first 14 games of the 2026 season.

However, you can only take so many cautious steps with one of your best relievers, with Brash since being used in back-to-back games on three occasions, including Wednesday in Minnesota. What’s particularly frustrating about this latest usage though is that, aside from Brash admitting the right side soreness had bothered him for a couple of days, he pitched again less than 24 hours after his previous appearance.

Of course we appreciate it’s easier to make this point with the benefit of hindsight, and factoring in that this is the same pitcher who previously proved his durability by leading all Major League relievers with 78 appearances back in 2023. At the same time, that accomplishment preceded Brash missing more than a year of action after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

In any event, the Mariners and their fans will be hoping Brash does not miss much time, especially after his outstanding start to this season. He entered Wednesday’s game having not allowed a single earned run in his first 13 appearances, one season after setting a franchise record by not giving up anything in his first 19 outings.

The Mariners bullpen as a whole has had a good start to this season, ranking fourth in the majors in ERA and fifth in fewest walks, but there are underlying concerns highlighted by allowing the third-highest batting average. As such it’s imperative to have full-strength core of relievers, with Brash near the top when it comes to importance.

Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rogers Photography

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