PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- The Seattle Mariners kicked off a six-game road trip on Tuesday night with a much-needed 3-2 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. 

George Kirby battled through six innings to earn the win, while Jose A. Ferrer, Eduard Bazardo and Andres Munoz held things down in the bullpen. Cal Raleigh and Cole Young hit home runs to power the offense.

While the story of the game was Young, who's home run came in front of family and friends in his return to Pittsburgh for the first time as a professional, what Munoz did in the bottom of the ninth inning cannot be ignored.

Clinging to a one-run lead, Munoz struck out 9-1-2 in the Pirates order, including potential All-Star Brandon Lowe. He pumped fastballs by all three hitters, hitting up to 102 mph on the radar gun.

Much of the season for Munoz has been defined by his struggles and apparent confidence issues, but on this night? He looked like the two-time All-Star that he is. He peppered the strike zone, relied on his fastball and overmatched good hitters.

When asked after the game if Munoz had made a physical adjustment or if there was a mental/confidence adjustment, manager Dan Wilson said this:

"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."

Munoz entered the game with an ERA of nearly eight on the road, but he ripped through his assignment to earn his 14th save.

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 will look to take the series from Pittsburgh on Wednesday afternoon with first pitch coming at 3:40 p.m. PT. Right-hander Bryan Woo will take the mound for the M's while Braxton Ashcraft pitches for the Pirates.

Woo is 6-5 with a 3.94 ERA while Ashcraft is 6-3 with a 3.18.

The latest 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast is out. You can listen here, or you can watch in the YouTube player below. There will be a new episode on Wednesday featuring ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney. 

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