PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- On Tuesday night, the Seattle Mariners beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 as Cole Young hit a game-winning two-run home run and Andres Munoz locked down his 14th save of the season.

Routinely hitting 100+ mph, Munoz looked arguably the best he has all season, striking out the side, including Pirates' All-Star hopeful Brandon Lowe. 

After the game, manager Dan Wilson addressed how good his two-time All-Star closer looked. He was asked if Munoz had made more of a physical adjustment or if this was more of a mental and confidence adjustment:

"I mean, I think sometimes they all come hand in hand, and I think he's feeling a lot more confident and attacking the zone and really letting that fastball go.

And some of the better fastballs we've seen the last couple of outings, and that's great to see. And then we know that that makes the slider even better when he's able to ramp up the velo on the heater, and he's had a really good one, and tonight it was exceptional."

In the Mariners clubhouse on Wednesday, Munoz addressed his big night, saying:

--His fastball has felt better with more repetitions in throwing it.

--He still feels good with his slider, taking adjustments that he made in the World Baseball Classic into the season.

--His back, which caused him to leave the June 14 game in Washington, is feeling completely healthy and has helped him feel more confident. He also said that he's worked to simplify things on the mound and has gotten great support in the clubhouse. 

"They've been talking to me a lot about that. Like, 'just don't think. Make the things simple.'

And that is what I am doing. I am making the things simple. Just attack the zone the more (most) that I can.

Obviously, when we go out there, everybody is trying to attack the zone. Sometimes we don't feel good to do that. And it's not because we don't want to. It is because we can't.

And sometimes, we feel off a little bit, and that is when we go around a little bit, but it's not because we are not trying to go right in the middle.

That is something, I feel like everybody has to understand, too. Like, we are not perfect. We make mistakes, and we work on our mistakes to get better each time."

--He also said that he tries to compare everything he does to how he was in 2022. He said that's the portion of his career where he felt the best and he always tries to replicate that season's mechanics and feelings. It's not always easy because he's had a back issue and two ankle surgeries since then, but that's what he's striving for.

The 27-year-old is now 3-4 with a 5.08 ERA. He's struck out 44 batters in just 28.1 innings. 

The Mariners enter play on Wednesday at 41-39 and in first place in the American League West.

You can listen to the latest 'Refuse to Lose Territory' with Buster Olney of ESPN here. You can also watch the episode in the player below: 

Remember to join our MARINERS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Mariners fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!