MINNEAPOLIS -- The Mariners have been incredibly delicate with leverage reliever Matt Brash since the outset of Spring Training, which made his abrupt departure from Wednesday afternoon’s 5-3 win over the Twins that much more alarming.
Brash delivered just two pitches upon entering in the bottom of the eighth inning, after which Cal Raleigh immediately signaled to the visiting dugout at Target Field. From there, assistant athletic trainer Kevin Orloski and manager Dan Wilson conferred with Brash on the mound before the right-hander exited.
It wasn’t immediately clear what the issue was, but Brash showed noticeable discomfort after each of the pitches he unleashed. The first was a 96.3 mph four-seam fastball that got Raleigh’s attention, and the second was registered as a 88.9 mph changeup that spiked in the dirt, way off the plate and to the backstop.
Brash rarely, if ever, throws a changeup to right-handed hitters -- such as Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers, who he was summoned to face -- meaning that it’s possible it was misclassified based on whatever issue Brash was dealing with.
Brash, who returned from Tommy John surgery last May 3, experienced inflammation in his pitching arm over the offseason that prompted him to dial things back -- and turn down an invitation to pitch for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic.
Brash said throughout camp that he’d recovered fine, but nonetheless, the Mariners were extremely deliberate about his usage, as he made just four Cactus League appearances.
In the regular season, the Mariners avoided using Brash on back-to-back days through their first 14 games. Yet Wednesday was third time he had been used on back-to-back days since then, as he also pitched in Tuesday’s 7-1 win.
Brash is one of the sport’s best setup men, entering the day with a 0.00 ERA in 13 outings.