Seattle Mariners Closer Reveals Concerning Ailment as Team Struggles Continue
The Seattle Mariners lost 3-2 to the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night, marking the third walk-off defeat for the M's in the last four games.
This latest catastrophe sent the Mariners under .500 at 69-70 and put them at 6.5 games back in the American League West. Though they remain 5.5 games back in the wild card race, talking about the playoffs is a futile exercise for a team that has torpedoed itself since mid-June.
And now, you add injury concerns to insult in the form of closer Andres Munoz. The star righty and All-Star is dealing with elbow issues apparently. He didn't pitch on Monday as the M's lost in the bottom of the ninth and didn't pitch on Tuesday as they lost in the bottom of the ninth, either.
Per Ryan Divish of 'The Seattle Times:
Munoz said he had some elbow soreness. So he was only going to pitch with a lead in these first two games
Munoz said he had some elbow soreness. So he was only going to pitch with a lead in these first two games
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) September 4, 2024
Divish said that Munoz wasn't concerned about the issues but any time you hear elbow issues, especially for a guy who has already had Tommy John surgery, the antennas go up.
Given that Munoz is such a valuable part of what the Mariners do, it will be interesting to see how they handle him the rest of the way. Given that the team is still technically in the playoff race, you'd imagine they'll keep him rostered and pitch him with leads, but they may not over-extend him in situations such as Monday or Tuesday.
The 25-year-old Munoz is 2-6 this year but has a 1.92 ERA. He's got 19 saves in 52 appearances. He's struck out 66 batters in 51.2 innings.
The Mariners will play the Athletics again on Wednesday night at 6:40 p.m. PT.
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