THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Problems in the pen — and dugout — flare up again for Mariners

So, you’re worried that the Mariners have a bullpen problem.

Nah.

It’s worse than that.

They have two.

After a couple years of being unhittable and turning the ninth inning into a few minutes of sacking up balls and bats, we may have an issue with Andres Munoz.

With some help from Jose A. Ferrer, who faced one batter and coughed up a game-winning double to Jackson Merrill, the once automatic Munoz did most of the heavy lifting as the M’s gave up five runs in the ninth inning Wednesday night.

The result, which likely ruined your Thursday breakfast, was a 7-6 loss to San Diego.

Maybe you thought: That makes me a little nervous.

Munoz had some shaky outings down the stretch last season, games that he wound up surviving, but …

Things got a lot more sweaty than you can remember with Andres on the hill.

You wound up shaking your head after the final out, puzzled that the road got bumpy there at the end.

It was no fun.

SCARY, right?

It was the kind of inning, now that you think about it, that guys from the back of the bullpen get assigned to finish.

Matter of fact, now that the Mariners are dreaming of a World Series, you’ve suffered a little tweak of worry that Ferrer could turn out to be one of THOSE guys.

He did, after all, cost the M’s top-of-the-line prospect Harry Ford — presumably for high-leverage situations.

But that’s a worry for another ninth inning.

At the moment, the concern is Munoz, who’s had a long habit of getting behind in counts and allowing baserunners (sometimes more than enjoyable) to run up his pitch count before finally blowing away the last couple of hitters.

The good news is that Munoz always seemed to find his rhythm before reaching the cliff, and then it was lights out.

Proof?

His ERA over the past two seasons was 1.72, which is pretty slick for a reliever. It only takes one bad outing to tag a guy with an astronomic ERA when you spend months pitching one inning at a time.

That’s how good Munoz has been.

But as we mentioned earlier, Andres had command issues toward the end of last season — unpleasant, but nothing that would even have the M’s even thinking about looking for another closer.

They can keep Wednesday night in mind, I suppose, even though THREE of the Padres’ four hits off him in the ninth came off their bats at 74.9 mph or less.

Still.

Munoz has two losses already, and he’s only managed to get 36 percent of his pitches in the strike zone.

Exactly what the M’s can do if Munoz begins to struggle regularly is another issue entirely.

It won’t be good, I can tell you that.

OH, I mentioned earlier that the meltdown in San Diego brought two problems into the spotlight.

Not just Munoz’s problems finding that final out.

Maybe you thought I was referring to newcomer Jose A. Ferrer, who gave up the winning double to Jackson Merrill.

Nope.

That could be something to put on the must-solve menu later in the season, but no, the problem I have in mind isn’t new.

This is the matter of manager Dan Wilson and his inability to handle his pitching staff.

He’s blown too many games to count, and he was back in the saddle again on Wednesday.

Going to Munoz in the ninth inning with a four-run lead wasn’t necessarily a sin — sometimes closers need work and wind up pitching in unusual circumstances.

Only the Mariners staff knew that situation.

Wilson’s boo-boo came when Munoz wasn’t sharp, and unlucky on top of it.

Dan decided he had to stop the bleeding while he still had a 6-5 lead (with runners on first and second).

I’d love to hear his explanation for bringing on Ferrer to face Merrill.

I’m sure that somehow the reasoning would have included the fact that Wilson has a new toy with lefty Ferrer — and Merrill hits lefthanded.

Wilson therefore ignored Matt Brash, who would have had about a thousand times better chance of getting Merrill out than Ferrer did.

Just because you have a lefty available doesn’t mean you have to USE him.

Unless Brash had measles or some other bizarre reason, he would be the guy to retire Merrill.

Chalk up another one for the Wilson Bullpen File.

Sigh.

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Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week, normally Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On."