Matt Brash caused some ridiculous pearl-clutching in Mariners' win over Orioles

There doesn't need to be intent behind chin music or a hit-by-pitch for a pitcher to get called out. The Seattle Mariners know all about it from when Casey Legumina had shade thrown at him by Mike Trout earlier this year.

That said, can we not with what happened between Matt Brash and the Baltimore Orioles on Monday?

Yes, Brash was wild when he came on in relief of Cooper Criswell in the seventh. And yes, he did plunk Taylor Ward. And yes, he nearly hit both Ward and Pete Alonso in the head with two other pitches.

The Orioles were not happy with Brash, who was subject to a round of chirping from their dugout. The crowd at Oriole Park at Camden Yards didn't like it either, and the Orioles' broadcast booth was practically apoplectic in letting Brash have it for having no clue where the ball was going.

As controversies go, though, what we have here was anger in search of a righteous cause.

Given that Brash entered the game with runners on second and third and one out in a 5-1 game, he obviously wasn't trying to hit anyone. And while he did get Ward with a sinker, the other two near-misses were on sliders. That's not a pitch that anyone in history has ever thrown at somebody on purpose — we're not talking Framber Valdez's four-seamer here.

When Trout called out Legumina following a hit-by-pitch earlier this season, it was a case of a hitter being pissed that a fastball pitcher could have such poor fastball command. That's a situation where the line between wildness and recklessness is blurred to a point where there's no difference.

Brash might have walked up to it on Monday, but no pitcher has ever crossed that line by throwing breaking balls. And for the Mariners' sake, what matters is that he got the last laugh. Thanks in large part to a clutch ABS challenge, he got out of the inning after allowing just one run.

For the Mariners, the bigger concern right now is how shaky the bullpen has become

As far as Seattle is concerned, the real story of Monday's game is how the bullpen ended up succeeding despite itself.

It allowed two runs in four innings, and it wasn't for lack of trying that it didn't allow more. Brash also walked a guy in addition to the HBP, and the other three relievers Dan Wilson used also issued a free pass. The Orioles couldn't rally not because they didn't get chances, but because they couldn't cash in.

Even though its 3.18 ERA is the fourth-best in MLB, the bullpen has been too prone to these kinds of games. It is barely above water in terms of win probability added, and Monday's near-meltdown happened on the heels of an actual meltdown on Sunday.

It isn't just Brash who needs to be better. It's Andrés Muñoz and Eduard Bazardo as well, and we would much prefer if Wilson stopped using Criswell in any situation short of a blowout. Eventually, it would be ideal if a new name was dropped into the equation.

For the time being, it's fingers-crossed territory.

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