Muñoz, Brash embrace new roles in Mariners' bullpen

This story was excerpted from Daniel Kramer’s Mariners Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- They knew well before Paul Sewald was traded that the likelihood of him being dealt was high based on the Mariners’ needs for a bat, their bullpen depth being an area of strength to deal from and their standing near .500 ahead of the Trade Deadline. Those things made it unlikely that the front office would mortgage any prospects.

And with the transaction that dealt Sewald to the D-backs on July 31, Andrés Muñoz and Matt Brash knew they would be thrust into those high-leverage spots for the final two months -- and beyond.

“I feel like I’ve been really preparing for it for a long time, really since I was with San Diego in 2019,” Muñoz said. “I was a setup guy. ...That prepared me for what I’m doing right now.”

“I'm obviously trying not to put more pressure on it, but it means more,” Brash said. “It's just the feeling of helping the team win. It just feels like you're a little bit more a part of it and I'm just excited to be in that role.”

They also knew there could be hiccups, such as the consecutive blown saves last week in Kansas City -- one from each, and the need to flush the bad days would never be more paramount or challenging.

Brash did so in consecutive outings following a brutal walk-off squeeze bunt that opened this 10-game road trip last Monday. Muñoz rebounded on Friday in Houston by working out of a jam with runners on the corners and the winning run at the plate. And both were vital in Sunday’s 7-6 win when Emerson Hancock’s right shoulder strain forced him to exit after just two innings.

“You learn from your mistakes,” Muñoz said. “My error in those outings was that I tried to strike out everybody because something bad started to happen in the infield or outfield or whatever. But I was wrong. Those are things that I keep learning and using."

“It's definitely hard in the moment, but the next day, that's what a lot of the older guys told me, like Paul's been telling me that for a while now -- just flushing and getting the next one,” Brash said.

Seattle has mostly avoided a “closer” label in the five years since Edwin Díaz was there, instead opting for their best arms in the highest leverage “pockets.” But regardless of what analytics measure, the ninth inning can be another beast.

"I have to thank my coaches because even when I was in those situations, everything started to happen like the last couple outings, they never told me something bad about it,” Muñoz said. “They tried to help me; they helped me with everything I had to do and kept working on everything. So I have to thank the coaches for that."

Added Brash: “I'm getting used to it, for sure. It's definitely new to me and I had a lot of different roles this year, but I felt really comfortable out there [on Thursday].”

Yes, there will be others who contribute. Tayler Saucedo and Gabe Speier have shown that, earning their first career saves on this road trip alone. Justin Topa’s 13-game scoreless stretch that’s extended for one month will also continue to allow manager Scott Servais to lean on him.

But none among that group possesses the elite stuff that Muñoz and Brash bring.

“These guys aren't perfect,” Servais said. “They're going to stub their toe once in a while but it's nice to see [them] bounce back.”

Dating back to July 25, six days before Sewald was dealt, the Mariners have won 20 of 25 for MLB’s best record. In that stretch, the bullpen has an MLB-best 2.38ERA and has converted 10 of 13 saves.

Their relief corps has been as much of the essence to Seattle’s success the past three years, and it will continue to be so in these final weeks. It just looks a little different now.