Mariners place José A. Ferrer on paternity list; Andrés Muñoz whiffs Yordan Alvarez

HOUSTON - With left-hander José A. Ferrer placed on the paternity list Monday, one obvious question loomed over the Mariners' battered bullpen entering a four-game series against the rival Astros.

How would they pitch to Yordan Alvarez?

And, wouldn't you know it, the series opener was decided by another hold-your-breath matchup vs. Alvarez in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz, with Jose Altuve on first base, won this matchup against Alvarez, striking out the Astros' slugger with his little-used changeup to preserve the Mariners' 3-1 victory.

Alvarez, limited by injuries to just 48 games in 2025, has been one of baseball's hottest hitters to open this season, hitting .318 with 13 homers and a 1.065 OPS in the first 41 games.

He has 17 home runs and a 1.005 OPS against the Mariners in 66 career regular-season games.

Coming into Monday, Muñoz had thrown just six changeups all season. He threw three against the Astros - one to Altuve and two to Alvarez.

Muñoz learned to throw the changeup early in 2025 but only used it sparingly. He's gaining confidence in it now, and he said it could be an effective weapon for him against teams like the Astros who know him well.

Muñoz also fired his best fastball of the season - clocked at 101.3 mph - on a 1-2 pitch that Alvarez fouled back.

Alvarez is a great hitter and, Muñy, I think, is one of the best closers in the game," M's star center fielder Julio Rodríguez said. "It was a good challenge for him and I hope that he took that from that that he's still got it. It's OK, like, going through tough times in the season, but he's still got it. He's still one of the best in the league.

With Ferrer on paternity leave for up to three days, the M's are without their top two left-handers to begin this series. Lefty Gabe Speier (shoulder inflammation) remains on the 15-day injured list, as does right-hander Matt Brash (lat inflammation).

The Mariners turned to rookie right-hander Nick Davila for three critical outs in the sixth inning Monday, followed with emerging leverage arm Cooper Criswell.

MLB rules allows players to take up to three days for a paternity leave.

Right-hander Domingo González was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to take Ferrer's place in the bullpen.

González's first appearance will be his MLB debut.

In 12 relief appearances for Triple-A Tacoma this season, González has a 1.80 ERA with 14 strikeouts and 2 walks in 15 innings.

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This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 4:55 PM.