Brash secured his 25th hold in a win over the Astros on Tuesday, firing two scoreless innings during which he allowed a hit and recorded two strikeouts.
Brash threw 19 of 25 pitches for strikes while extending his scoreless appearance streak to 13 outings. The right-hander continues to primarily see seventh- and eighth-inning work, although he's arguably been more trustworthy overall in the last month-plus than primary closer Andres Munoz. If the Mariners do make it into the postseason, how manager Scott Servais distributes high-leverage assignments will be something to monitor.
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Mariners' Matt Brash: Settles into setup role
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Brash recorded his 23rd hold in a win over the Angels on Wednesday, firing a scoreless eighth inning during which he allowed a hit and a walk while recording three strikeouts.
Brash worked the eighth inning while posting his eighth consecutive scoreless appearance, a stretch that dates back to Aug. 29. The right-hander has generated a 13.5 K/9 and snagged six holds over that eight-inning sample, as manager Scott Servais has opted to stick with Andres Munoz as the primary ninth-inning option despite some stumbles while often deploying Brash in a seventh- or eighth-inning role.
Brash (9-4) got the win against the Astros on Sunday, firing 1.1 scoreless innings during which he allowed a hit and recorded two strikeouts.
The Mariners bullpen as a whole was called on for extended duty Sunday after starter Emerson Hancock was forced from the game following two innings due to a shoulder strain. The urgency was compounded when Tayler Saucedo, who relieved Hancock, failed to retire a batter while giving up five runs, but Brash was one of multiple relievers to pick up the slack. He got his four outs on a relatively efficient 23 pitches while posting his second straight scoreless appearance after allowing runs in back-to-back appearances against the Royals last Monday and on Wednesday. Brash had recorded saves in each of his two most recent outings, so he continues to be one of the more versatile bullpen options for manager Scott Servais and an increasingly valuable fantasy asset as a result.
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Mariners' Matt Brash: Picks up fourth save
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Brash picked up the save Thursday against the Royals, striking out one over a perfect inning.
Brash entered the contest with a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth and needed just eight pitches to retire the side in order and notch his fourth save of the season. It was a nice rebound effort after he surrendered four hits over his last two outings. The right-hander has now converted three of his last four save attempts and has not issued a walk in three straight appearances.
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Mariners' Matt Brash: Shaky in third save
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Brash allowed one run on a hit and struck out one in one inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Royals.
Brash has followed up a nine-inning scoreless streak with three runs allowed over his last 1.1 frames. He took a blown save and loss Monday against the Royals, but he was able to maintain the lead this time around with Andres Munoz down following a 42-pitch outing Tuesday. Brash is up to three saves, 17 holds, five blown saves, a 3.46 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 85:22 K:BB through 52 innings this season.
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Mariners' Matt Brash: Blows save, takes loss
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Brash dropped to 8-4 after allowing two runs on two hits in Monday's 7-6 loss to the Royals. He was charged with a blown save and recorded one out.
Brash was given the save chance in a 6-5 game and gave up two runs on a sacrifice fly and a sacrifice bunt. He entered Monday with a nine-inning scoreless streak but saw his ERA climb to 3.35 after the hiccup. Justin Topa threw a scoreless frame while Andres Munoz didn't enter the contest.
Mariners' Matt Brash: Gets eighth victory Wednesday
Rotowire
Brash (8-3) got the win over the Padres on Wednesday, firing a perfect eighth inning during which he recorded a strikeout.
Brash wrapped up his one frame on a scant 10 pitches, and he was rewarded for preserving the 1-1 tie when Seattle broke out for a five-run tally in the home half of the eighth. The right-hander has already benefited fantasy managers throughout the season with a robust amount of holds and elite strikeout numbers, but he's now logged three winning decisions and converted one save chance since Paul Sewald was traded to the Diamondbacks on July 31.
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Mariners' Matt Brash: Grabs 16th hold Tuesday
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Brash secured his 16th hold in the Mariners' win over the Padres on Tuesday, firing a scoreless eighth inning during which he allowed a hit and a walk, threw a wild pitch and recorded a strikeout.
It was an eventful frame for Brash. He displayed some of the control issues he's gotten a better handle on this season, but the hard-throwing right-hander still managed to escape unscathed and post his seventh straight scoreless appearance. Brash has primarily filled a setup role since the trade of Paul Sewald at the deadline to the Diamondbacks, although he has seen one save chance in that span that he successfully converted. Andres Munoz is proving capable of manning the closer role for the time being, but Brash should continue drawing plenty of hold opportunities down the stretch and also log the occasional ninth-inning assignment.
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Mariners' Matt Brash: Nabs second save
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Brash allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two over a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 9-7 win over the Angels.
He allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base before settling down. Andres Munoz had converted the Mariners' first two save chances since they traded away Paul Sewald, but he'd pitched three of the last four days, allowing Brash to step up in a high-leverage spot. The 25-year-old righty has two saves and 15 holds this season while pitching to a 3.28 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 80:20 K:BB over 46.2 innings. Brash has the stuff to be an effective late-inning reliever, though he's still got some strides to make with his control.
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Mariners' Matt Brash: Grabs seventh win Wednesday
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Brash (7-3) got the win over the Red Sox on Wednesday, firing a perfect seventh inning during which he recorded two strikeouts.
Brash mowed through the Red Sox during a seventh frame in which he needed just 10 pitches to record his three outs. The right-hander was then rewarded for his sharp performance when Seattle mounted a four-run rally in the seventh inning and held on the rest of the way, making him the pitcher of record. Brash is expected to see a boost in eighth-inning work, especially in games when the Mariners have the lead, as part of the reshuffling of the high-leverage end of the bullpen in the wake of Paul Sewald's trade to the Diamondbacks. However, the fact manager Scott Servais called on him to prevent a 3-2 deficit from growing any larger underscores the trust Brash has built with a breakout 2023 that's seen him pitch to a 3.35 ERA and 15.4 K/9 while also garnering 15 holds and one save, in addition to the seven victories.
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Mariners' Matt Brash: Moves into top setup role
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Brash is in line to see more eighth-inning opportunities as part of the domino effect of Paul Sewald's trade to the Diamondbacks on Monday, and he could also be a candidate for some save chances, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
Brash happens to be coming off what manager Scott Servais has termed as "probably the best month of his career," as the hard-throwing right-hander finished July with a 2-0 record, eight holds and a 13.9 K/9 without giving up a home run across 11 innings (12 appearances). Brash has been more successful as a reliever since transitioning to the bullpen and is exhibiting improved control this season. With a fastball that averages 98 mph and a 15.3 K/9 across 52 appearances, he's projected to see a nice bump in setup work, at minimum, in front of projected primary closer Andres Munoz.
Brash, who picked up his fifth win Tuesday against the Twins with a scoreless eighth inning during which he issued a walk and struck out three, has a 2.35 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 14:4 K:BB and six holds across the 7.2 innings covering his eight appearances in July.
The one-time starter has been in a groove as a reliever for most of the season, and July has been a particularly good month. Brash has generated scoreless efforts in seven of those eight appearances this month, and he's gotten a better handle on his control issues overall by lowering his BB/9 from his rookie 5.9 figure to a more palatable 3.9 in 41.1 frames this season.
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Mariners' Matt Brash: Saddled with third loss
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Brash (3-3) took the loss against the Astros on Friday, allowing two earned runs on two hits and a walk over two-thirds of an inning. He struck out two.
Brash was tasked with preserving a 4-4 tie when he entered in the ninth inning, but his leadoff walk to Jose Abreu was followed by Kyle Tucker's go-ahead two-run home run to center field. The hard-throwing right-hander recorded a pair of subsequent strikeouts before a Jake Meyers single got him the hook, and he was saddled with his third loss of the season when Seattle couldn't rally. The stumble snapped a four-appearance scoreless streak for Brash while pushing his ERA and WHIP back up to 5.28 and 1.50, respectively.
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Mariners' Matt Brash: Grabs third win Wednesday
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Brash (3-2) secured the win in an extra-inning victory over the Athletics on Wednesday, firing 1.2 scoreless innings during which he allowed a hit and recorded two strikeouts.
Brash was rewarded for snuffing out an eighth-inning threat when first entering the game, putting away Tony Kemp and Brent Rooker on a groundout and swinging strikeout, respectively, to strand Nick Allen on third base. Brash then worked around a leadoff single by Ramon Laureano in the ninth after the Mariners had tied the game in the top half of the frame, and he qualified for the decision once Eugenio Suarez broke the game open with a three-run home run in the 10th inning. The hard-throwing right-hander has now strung together four straight scoreless efforts and is rewarding fantasy managers with an elite 43.1 percent strikeout rate through 14.2 innings.
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Mariners' Matt Brash: Picks up first save
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Brash picked up the save during Sunday's 10-8 win over the Blue Jays, allowing one hit and zero walks across a scoreless 10th inning. He struck out two.
Paul Sewald pitched a scoreless ninth to send the game into extras, and with Andres Munoz (shoulder) still on the injured list, Brash was given his fourth save opportunity of the season after Seattle scored two runs in the top of the 10th. The right-hander was able secure his first save despite giving up a single to George Springer, and he recorded multiple strikeouts for a ninth time this season. Brash has three blown saves and has an ERA of 4.85, but his 26:5 K:BB through 13 innings is encouraging.
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Mariners' Matt Brash: Grabs second win
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Brash (2-2) got the win against the Cardinals on Saturday, firing a scoreless seventh inning during which he hit a batter and struck out the side.
Brash's occasional control issues surfaced when he plunked Alec Burleson during what would have otherwise been a perfect inning. Beyond that blip, the right-hander was stellar while picking up his second win, notably erasing the trio of Lars Nootbaar, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado on swinging strikeouts. The clean frame marked Brash's fourth scoreless effort in his last five trips to the mound and came in the wake of an ugly one-inning appearance against the Brewers on Wednesday when he allowed three earned runs.
