The Mariners bullpen just defied expectations and changed everything for Dan Wilson..
Seattle’s pen came through in unexpected ways in the team’s latest win.
The Seattle Mariners nearly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on Tuesday, but Julio Rodríguez wasn’t the only one who came to the rescue in a hard-fought 6-5 win over the Minnesota Twins.
The bullpen also played a huge role after Luis Castillo started and labored in allowing five runs over five innings. The Mariners were on the ropes after he departed, yet Gabe Speier, Carlos Vargas, Andrés Muñoz, and Matt Brash fought back with four scoreless innings in which they combined to allow just one hit.
“We are attacking everybody,” Muñoz said afterward, via Adam Jude of The Seattle Times. “I think that is a key for us — go and attack everybody. Don’t be afraid that something bad could happen.”
This is how it’s been going for Seattle’s pen, as the club’s P.R. department notes that the relief corps has a 0.92 ERA over its last 11 games. At the same time, though, very little about Tuesday’s effort was typical.
Dan Wilson flipped the script in a welcome way with his late-inning relievers
Easily the most shocking development was manager Dan Wilson’s decision to start the eighth inning with Muñoz on the mound. He had previously called on the flamethrowing righty before the ninth only once all year, and it was to get just one out in the eighth on May 17.
To be sure, Muñoz needed the work on Tuesday after not appearing in a game since June 17. But the general predictability of his usage is by design, as he told MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer on May 17 that he prefers an inning-specific role:
Andrés Muñoz on pitching in a more inning-specific role this year:
“It’s been really, really good for me, because I know when I’m going to get in. There are some exceptions, but most of the times, I know when I go to get in … And I think that has been a huge difference.”
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) May 18, 2025
For our part, though, we can’t help but wonder if Wilson’s decision to use his closer in the eighth on Tuesday was inspired by something the Mariners witnessed the Boston Red Sox do on June 18.
With the Red Sox holding a 3-1 lead at T-Mobile Park, Boston manager Alex Cora chose not to wait and called in Aroldis Chapman, who’s been the closer all year, in the eighth inning. It was an unconventional move, yet totally sensible with the top of the order due up. It also worked, as Chapman set down Dylan Moore, Rodríguez, and Cal Raleigh to set Greg Weissert up for a relatively easy save in the ninth.
Wilson’s use of Muñoz in the eighth on Tuesday wasn’t exactly comparable, but he did have to preserve a 5-5 tie and the first batter he faced was a dangerous one: Carlos Correa. Yet the gambit worked, as he fanned Correa and Matt Wallner and got old friend Ty France to ground out.
That Brash then got the call for the ninth to protect a one-run lead — Rodríguez came through with a go-ahead sac fly in the top half of the inning — felt like a well-earned vote of confidence. The righty has been used sparingly since returning from Tommy John surgery on May 3, but he still hasn’t given up a run and the stuff is undeniably closer-caliber. It was about time he got a chance to close a game, and he came through with a strikeout and two groundouts.
In addition to the Muñoz-Brash switcheroo, the other notable bullpen storyline from last night concerns how hard Vargas was throwing. He sat at a season-high 99.1 mph with his sinker, likewise maxing out at a season-high 100.2 mph. Not a bad way to mark his seventh straight scoreless outing.
There otherwise isn’t any new praise to heap on Speier. The lefty has been terrific for Wilson this year, posting a 2.79 ERA across 34 appearances that have covered all the territory between the fifth and ninth innings. We won’t say he’s an All-Star, but we won’t not say it either.
What we will say is that Seattle’s bullpen would look a little more solid if it had one more swing-and-miss arm, which will ultimately be up to Jerry Dipoto. Yet what Wilson has is working, and he is to be credited for trying out a whole new way to keep making it work.
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