Andres Munoz ended up taking a tough loss for the M’s on Saturday night, but something encouraging is happening under the hood.
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Video Transcript
Brady Farkas, Mariners on Roundtable Sports contributing writer and your Refuse to Lose podcast host.
Brady Farkas, Mariners on Roundtable Sports contributing writer and your Refuse to Lose podcast host.
I’m in the hotel room right now getting ready to go to the ballpark.
I’m in the hotel room right now getting ready to go to the ballpark.
Mariners-Guardians, game four of a four-game set tonight at T-Mobile Park, four twenty Pacific Time.
Mariners-Guardians, game four of a four-game set tonight at T-Mobile Park, four twenty Pacific Time.
The game’s gonna air nationally on Peacock.
The game’s gonna air nationally on Peacock.
I had an opportunity on Saturday before the game to catch up with Mariners closer Andrs Muoz, and I wrote the story at Roundtable, and I– Given that Muoz took the loss on Saturday, it feels a little mistimed to put up the article now, but I thought it was important to get it up as quickly as possible.
I had an opportunity on Saturday before the game to catch up with Mariners closer Andrs Muoz, and I wrote the story at Roundtable, and I– Given that Muoz took the loss on Saturday, it feels a little mistimed to put up the article now, but I thought it was important to get it up as quickly as possible.
We talked a lot about Muoz’s slider velocity.
We talked a lot about Muoz’s slider velocity.
If you’ve listened to me on the podcast over the last four months or so, you’ve heard me talk about this.
If you’ve listened to me on the podcast over the last four months or so, you’ve heard me talk about this.
Muoz has four consecutive seasons of declining velocity, and he’s still excellent.
Muoz has four consecutive seasons of declining velocity, and he’s still excellent.
He can still be excellent at his velocity readings, but when you have lower velocity, you become a little more hittable.
He can still be excellent at his velocity readings, but when you have lower velocity, you become a little more hittable.
Muoz used to throw his slider eighty-eight miles an hour.
Muoz used to throw his slider eighty-eight miles an hour.
He averaged eighty-six point two in two thou– yeah, two thousand twenty-five.
He averaged eighty-six point two in two thou– yeah, two thousand twenty-five.
We also saw several sliders at eighty-three, eighty-four miles an hour, and we saw the same thing in spring training.
We also saw several sliders at eighty-three, eighty-four miles an hour, and we saw the same thing in spring training.
Well, on opening night, Muoz’s slider was back to eighty-six, eighty-seven.
Well, on opening night, Muoz’s slider was back to eighty-six, eighty-seven.
So I asked him, I said, “Look, did you make a mechanical adjustment, or do you just feel good and adrenaline going ’cause it’s your first appearance of the year?”
So I asked him, I said, “Look, did you make a mechanical adjustment, or do you just feel good and adrenaline going ’cause it’s your first appearance of the year?”
And he said, “No, I did make an adjustment, something I’ve been working on.”
And he said, “No, I did make an adjustment, something I’ve been working on.”
And an unlikely source is what led him to that adjustment.
And an unlikely source is what led him to that adjustment.
A Team Mexico World Baseball Classic teammate by the name of Manny Barreda helped Muoz realize what was going on with his slider and why he wasn’t getting the kind of velocity on it that he wanted.
A Team Mexico World Baseball Classic teammate by the name of Manny Barreda helped Muoz realize what was going on with his slider and why he wasn’t getting the kind of velocity on it that he wanted.
Interesting story, and if Muoz can consistently find that velocity again in the eighty-six, eighty-seven range, that unlocks something again that he didn’t have at the end of last season, even when he was excellent as the Mariners were getting to the playoffs.
Interesting story, and if Muoz can consistently find that velocity again in the eighty-six, eighty-seven range, that unlocks something again that he didn’t have at the end of last season, even when he was excellent as the Mariners were getting to the playoffs.
Now, Muoz was back in the eighty-four or back in eighty-five, eighty– he averaged eighty-five miles an hour on Saturday, so this is gonna be kind of a constant battle for him, I think, at least for a little while.
Now, Muoz was back in the eighty-four or back in eighty-five, eighty– he averaged eighty-five miles an hour on Saturday, so this is gonna be kind of a constant battle for him, I think, at least for a little while.
But he knows what’s up with his slider.
But he knows what’s up with his slider.
He says he knows how to fix it, and if he can find it consistently again, it unlocks something much different for the Mariners.
He says he knows how to fix it, and if he can find it consistently again, it unlocks something much different for the Mariners.