Fantasy News

• Mariners' Andres Munoz: Picks up first win Wednesday

  Rotowire Apr 11, 2024

  Munoz (1-1) picked up the win in an extra-inning victory over the Blue Jays on Wednesday, firing 1.1 scoreless innings during which he allowed a hit, hit a batter and issued a walk. Munoz got the late-eighth-inning call after Logan Gilbert, who'd been masterful for most of seven-plus innings, worked into trouble by allowing a single and a walk with two outs. Munoz impressively escaped the jam he inherited by striking out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and then emerged from a 24-pitch ninth frame unscathed despite some trouble. Having preserved the 1-1 tie, Munoz became the pitcher of record courtesy of the Mariners' five-run rally in the 10th, giving him his first win in what was his second inning-plus appearance of the new season. Munoz has allowed a pair of earned runs through five appearances and displayed occasional control issues, making it possible Ryne Stanek, who has plenty of high-leverage experience and sealed Wednesday's victory by setting the Blue Jays down in the 10th inning, could steal occasional save opportunities.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Mariners' Andres Munoz: Unavailable Sunday

  Rotowire Apr 7, 2024

  Munoz won't be available to pitch Sunday against the Brewers after throwing in the first two games of the series, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports. The right-hander threw 39 pitches across the first two games of the series and unsurprisingly won't be an option for the finale in Milwaukee. Ryne Stanek is expected to be the fill-in closer for Munoz, who will reclaim his duties Monday at Toronto.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Mariners' Andres Munoz: Shaky in loss

  Rotowire Apr 5, 2024

  Munoz (0-1) allowed a run on four walks and took a loss against the Brewers on Friday. He struck out one batter. Munoz simply could not find the strike zone Friday. He tossed only nine of 26 pitches for strikes and walked William Contreras with the bases loaded to end the game. It was Munoz's second straight appearance allowing a run but he'd produced a 4:0 K:BB before Friday's meltdown. Overall, the performance shouldn't have much of an impact on his status as Seattle's closer.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Mariners' Andres Munoz: Gets eighth-inning call Monday

  Rotowire Apr 2, 2024

  Munoz was credited with his first hold in a win over the Guardians on Monday, allowing an earned run on a solo home run while recording a strikeout in the eighth inning. Munoz got the eighth-inning call with the Mariners holding a 5-3 lead and allowed a solo home run to Josh Naylor after getting Jose Ramirez to fly out to open the frame. The hard-throwing right-hander atoned for the hiccup by getting out of the inning without further damage, but manager Scott Servais entrusted Ryne Stanek with the save opportunity in the ninth inning. Despite the swap in roles Monday, Munoz remains Seattle's preferred closer option moving forward.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Mariners' Andres Munoz: Strikes out three in first save

  Rotowire Mar 30, 2024

  Munoz earned the save in Friday's win over the Red Sox, striking out three over 1.1 scoreless innings. Munoz came on in relief of Ryne Stanek with two outs in the eighth, coaxing a groundout off the bat of Trevor Story to strand the tying run at third base. Munoz would proceed to strike out the side in the ninth, closing out a 1-0 win for his first save of the year. The 25-year-old right-hander should have a firm grasp on the ninth-inning job in Seattle after tallying 13 saves last season while posting a 2.94 ERA with a 1.27 WHIP and 67:22 K:BB.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Mariners' Andres Munoz: Collects fourth win

  Rotowire Sep 29, 2023

  Munoz (4-7) didn't allow a baserunner in one-third of an inning and earned the win Thursday over the Rangers. Munoz got the last out of the ninth inning, and the Mariners rallied for a walk-off victory. He hadn't earned a save or a result in two weeks, allowing one run across four innings over his last four appearances. Munoz has a 2.81 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 65:21 K:BB through 48 innings this year while adding 13 saves and 14 holds in 51 appearances.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Mariners' Andres Munoz: Back in action

  Rotowire Sep 12, 2023

  Munoz (hip) allowed two hits and hit a batter while striking out one over a scoreless inning in Monday's 8-5 extra-innings loss to the Angels. Munoz battled hip tightness over the weekend, but he was able to return to action without a trip to the injured list. He was a little wild but kept the score tied at 3-3 in the ninth inning, though the rest of the Mariners' bullpen faltered in the 10th and 11th frames. Munoz is at a 2.95 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 60:21 K:BB through 42.2 innings while racking up 12 saves and 13 holds this season.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Mariners' Andres Munoz: Dealing with hip tightness

  Rotowire Sep 10, 2023

  Munoz said he's been battling some minor left hip tightness but threw without issue ahead of Sunday's game at Tampa Bay, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports. Munoz will probably be unavailable for the Mariners' series finale against the Rays on Sunday at Tropicana Field, but there doesn't seem to be much concern that this is going to become a long-term issue. Matt Brash is the best bet for fill-in closer duties, though Munoz could be right back in action Monday versus the Angels.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Mariners' Andres Munoz: Likely unavailable Sunday

  Rotowire Sep 10, 2023

  Manager Scott Servais said Munoz is dealing with "a little something" and is likely unavailable Sunday at Tampa Bay, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports. "Am I concerned? No," said Servais. "Would I like to have him available today? Yes." Matt Brash hasn't pitched since Thursday and could act as the fill-in closer for the Mariners while Munoz grabs some rest.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Mariners' Andres Munoz: Escapes with 12th save

  Rotowire Sep 7, 2023

  Munoz picked up the save Thursday against Tampa Bay. He hit a batter and issued a walk while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning. The 24-year-old closer worked around a hit-by-pitch and a walk to shut the door on Seattle's 1-0 victory, getting back on track after allowing a run in each of his previous three appearances. Munoz has now converted 10 of his first 12 save chances since taking over as the primary closer at the trade deadline. The hard-throwing righty owns a 3.02 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and an impressive 12.7 K/9 across 41.2 innings on the campaign.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Mariners' Andres Munoz: Falters for seventh loss

  Rotowire Sep 6, 2023

  Munoz (3-7) took the loss against the Reds on Tuesday, allowing an earned run on two hits without retiring a batter in the ninth inning. Called on to preserve a 6-6 tie, Munoz got his frame off on the wrong foot when Elly De La Cruz legged out an infield single and subsequently swiped second base. That put the rookie phenom in position to race home on Christian Encarnacion-Strand's single to right, handing Munoz his seventh loss in quick fashion. The right-hander has had some bumps in the road since taking over the primary closer role following the trade of Paul Sewald to the Diamondbacks at the deadline, blowing two of his 11 save opportunities, taking three losses and posting a bloated 1.60 WHIP across the 15 innings he's logged since Aug. 2.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Mariners' Andres Munoz: Tagged with loss Friday

  Rotowire Sep 2, 2023

  Munoz (3-6) took the loss Friday as the Mariners were downed 2-1 by the Mets, giving up a run on two hits and a walk in the eighth inning. He struck out one. Called upon to preserve a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the eighth, Munoz instead tossed only 15 of 27 pitches for strikes, uncorked two wild pitches and gave up two stolen bases, somehow emerging with only one run on his ledger. The right-hander has been more lucky than good since taking over as Seattle's primary closer -- in 15 innings since the beginning of August, he has a 2.40 ERA despite a 1.47 WHIP, converting nine of his 11 save chances.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Mariners' Andres Munoz: Notches 11th save

  Rotowire Aug 31, 2023

  Munoz struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to record his 11th save of the season in a 5-4 win over the A's. The right-hander needed 14 pitches (nine strikes) to knife through the bottom of the Oakland lineup, topping out at 99.6 mph with his fastball. Munoz's first month as Seattle's main closer wraps up with a 1.93 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 20:7 K:BB through 14 innings, but just as he would occasionally sub in for Paul Sewald, Matt Brash could still get the call every now and then in the ninth no matter how well Munoz is pitching.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Mariners' Andres Munoz: Gets 13th hold Sunday

  Rotowire Aug 21, 2023

  Munoz recorded his 13th hold in a win over the Astros on Sunday, firing a perfect eighth inning during which he recorded a strikeout. The right-hander had notched a save while working around two hits in Friday's series opener, an outing that snapped a three-appearance streak with at least one run allowed for Munoz. He followed it up Sunday with his first clean outing since Aug. 3, which netted his first hold of August. Despite the occasional stumble, Munoz remains an elite source of strikeouts (11.8 K/9) and has done an excellent job keeping the ball in the park, having only allowed one home run across 34.1 innings over 35 appearances.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Mariners' Andres Munoz: Secures sixth save

  Rotowire Aug 9, 2023

  Munoz allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 2-0 win over the Padres. Munoz has a save in all four of his appearances in August, striking out eight and walking two while allowing one run over four innings this month. The right-hander is up to six saves to go with 12 holds through 30 appearances this season. He's maintained a 2.83 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 42:13 K:BB through 28.2 innings. Based on usage since Paul Sewald was traded to Arizona, it appears Munoz has the upper hand on Matt Brash -- who earned a hold with a scoreless eighth inning Tuesday -- for save chances.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Mariners' Andres Munoz: Possible waiver wire pickups

  Rotowire Aug 3, 2023

  I've been shouting from the rooftops that Munoz is the big winner from the trade deadline with Paul Sewald going to the Diamondbacks, but the one place I haven't addressed it yet is in the semi-weekly Waiver Wire column. And clearly I need to given that his roster rate has risen only 14 percentage points since the trade. Maybe his perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts Wednesday will say more than I can, alleviating concerns that manager Scott Servais will return to his by-committee roots. It's only injuries that have kept Munoz out of the closer role this long, from his Tommy John surgery while still with the Padres to his shoulder strain earlier this year. The 24-year-old has an arsenal much like former Mariners closer Edwin Diaz, featuring a fastball that peaks at 103 mph and a slider with better than a 50 percent whiff rate.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Mariners' Andres Munoz: In line for closing role

  Rotowire Aug 2, 2023

  Munoz is in line to serve as the Mariners' primary closer following the trade of Paul Sewald to the Diamondbacks on Monday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports. Sewald had logged 24 save chances overall for the Mariners and Seattle is expected to remain a viable wild-card contender for the foreseeable future. Therefore, the potential closing workload Sewald's exit creates should afford Munoz his fair share of save chances, and the hard-throwing right-hander certainly has the stuff -- including a fastball that averages 99.1 mph -- for a ninth-inning role. However, the newfound opportunity comes in the midst of a handful of recent hiccups for Munoz, who's allowed an earned run in four of his last 10 appearances while taking three losses. The 24-year-old has converted two of the three save opportunities he's seen across 24 appearances thus far in 2023, and if he were to struggle as a closing option, fellow right-hander Matt Brash could conceivably be given a look in that role as well.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Mariners' Andres Munoz: Bounces back with 10th hold

  Rotowire Jul 23, 2023

  Munoz secured his 10th hold in a win over the Blue Jays on Saturday, firing a perfect eighth inning during which he recorded a strikeout. The hard-throwing right-hander righted his ship with a sharp 13-pitch outing after having taken his third loss of the season Wednesday versus the Twins. Munoz has now reached double-digit holds for the second straight season, and despite some infrequent hiccups, he's sporting an impressive 2.66 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 13.3 K/9 and 0.4 HR/9 across 21 appearances.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Mariners' Andres Munoz: Hit with third loss Wednesday

  Rotowire Jul 20, 2023

  Munoz (2-3) took the loss against the Twins on Wednesday, allowing an earned run on two hits and two walks over one inning. He struck out one. The hard-throwing right-hander suffered yet another stumble, marking the third time in his last eight appearances in which he's allowed at least one earned run. Munoz's troubles Wednesday came about due to a combination of some small ball and an error, as he yielded singles to Max Kepler and Willi Castro before Tom Murphy's passed ball allowed Kepler to cross the plate with the tie-breaking run. Munoz still has a pair of wins, nine holds and one save, but he's posted a 6.48 ERA and 1.44 WHIP over the 8.1 innings covering that aforementioned uneven eight-appearance sample.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Mariners' Andres Munoz: Bounces back with first win

  Rotowire Jul 3, 2023

  Munoz (1-1) got the win against the Rays on Sunday, firing a scoreless seventh inning during which he recorded a strikeout. Less than 48 hours after a rare meltdown in Friday's loss, Munoz was right back to his usual sharp shelf in Sunday's appearance. The right-hander fired 12 of 16 pitches for strikes, and he's now generated scoreless appearances in 13 of his 14 trips to the mound this season while forging an elite 19:4 K:BB across 13 innings.

  ... See More ... See Less