Bret Boone on Mariners Pitching, Astros Losing, Munoz at Closer

Bret Boone, former Mariners All Star, joins Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain to talk about the Mariners pitching showing up last week as a strength, the Astros continuing to lose games, Andres Munoz’s role as closer, and his brother Aaron’s ejection Monday.

Episode Transcript

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Coming to you live from our ElliotAvenue Studios of Sports Radio ninety three point
three kJ R FM. It's timefor our weekly conversation with former Mariners all
star Brett Boone, brought to youby Venue Kings. Visit venue Kings dot
com for all your ticket needs.Now with Booney, Here's Safti and Dick.

(00:20):
Hey big thanks to our friends atvenue Kings dot com. You want
to go watch Kaitlin Clark's debut withthe Indiana Fever on the twenty second of
May. Tickets now up to eightyfour dollars at venue Kings dot com.
To get in the door, usecoach Saftie at checkout for a discount always
at venu Kings dot com. Herehe is our friend, courtesy Avenue Kings

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dot com. Brett Boone, Booney, how are you, man? I'm
doing well. What's going on?Not much? Appreciate you being flexible with
your schedule this week at the drafton Thursday. Man, So thank you
for changing your SAFTI. That's justwhat I do. That's just what I
do. Yeah, you're a manof the people. We appreciate that.
Well. Here we go Texas,Texas and Seattle tonight. But before we

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talk about that, the M's fiveand one their last six. They sweep
Cincinnati year old team, they taketwo or three against Colorado. They're now
eleven and eleven, half game outbehind the Rangers. Did they kind of
maybe uh, stem the tide alittle bit there in the last week?
You think, yeah, and hecould have been six out of six?
I mean that extra innings the otherday, Munos came in before I could

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turn the volume up. It wasknock knocked. The game's over. So
really, if you know, ifthings go as we expected them to go
with it with the lead there,you know, he could have been six
and six. But you don't wantto get you know, it is what
it is. Last ten they wonseven out of ten, and this staff
is starting to show what this staffis. I think the last ten starts

(01:48):
have been quality starts. I thinkthe most is starting pitcher for the Mariners
has given up in the last tengames is two. So they're kind of
catching their stride after some rocky startsfor you know, Kirby Eavan back back,
real uncharacteristic starts. Castillo started offgiving up seemed like four every time
he went out there. They kindof righted the ship. That the mainstay

(02:09):
from day m. Just give ita second into the ether. He'll be
back. It always happens. He'llbe back. Will he still be talking
when he comes back? There heis? Yeah, there is Boone.
We got you, You got meand your phone cut out for like the
last five minutes. By do youhear anything you said since you came on

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the air. We heard the lastYou'll be honest with me. Where'd you
lose me? I lost you afteryou talked about Castille. I mean you
mentioned how we got good. Thepitching has been and we totally agree.
And I think no matter who butBoone, no matter who they play,
the pitching is going to be good. My question is, is the offensive
we'll call it resurgence because it wasjust horrible for the first ten games of

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the season. The offensive researchon ofthe last ten games because there we think
they're going to continue that, orbecause the teams they played, the Reds,
the Rockies, they're just they're justbad pitching staffs. I think it's
a combo. I think it's acombo. I think this, you know,
we talked about it last week.I think this team is what it
is offensively, it's not going tobe in the upper tiers. It's just

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not this group right here. It'ssolid, but I think when they play
good, they're going to be inthe middle of the pack as far as
the American League goes. They're notgoing to be in the top one,
two or three, uh in offensivecategories. I just don't think they're built
that way going into this season.I think the poto's main thing this offseason
was cutting down on strikeouts, addingmore balls in play. Well, so

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far it hasn't resulted in that.I think they're number three in the top
three in the league in punchouts.But I think this we have to be
reserved at the fact, and Idon't care when anybody says, oh,
we're a top well, pitching iswhat's going to get you there. That's
that's your that's your golden ticket rightthere. Your offense is solid, play
as good as you can and thereare guys on this team that are very

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capable offensively. But I just don'tthink even in the division, you're not
going to match up offensively on yourgreatest years. You're not going to match
up with the Texas Rangers. You'renot going to match up with the Houston
Astros, who are quite frankly,off to the worst start they've had in
a lot of years with that strongholdthey've had on the division. So I
think it is what it is.Good. You play good defense, you

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do as well as you can offensively, and I think at the end of
the day, if you have agreat season, you finish seventh day ninth
in all the offensive category. Butthis pitching staff's enough, and especially this
bullpen. I've got to give theMariners credit. They've changed the personnel in
that bullpen quite a bit the lasttwo or three years, parts coming and
going, and they seem year inand year out to be really solid in

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that pen. Once again, they'remissing one of their main guys, Brash.
They're stuck in the league only behindthe New York Yankees in bullpen.
So let's just ride with your strength, and your strength undoubtedly talk about whatever
you want. Is that pitching staffand that bullpen. Yeah, missing Santos
too, Hopefully those guys back midMay or so and you have your whole
bullpen together. But you mentioned it. They're Booty the M's last year,

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we're second in strikeouts in Baseball they'resix now, which is not great,
but slightly better than where they werea year ago. And there was there
was obviously a little bit of apush by to Poto and Service to get
rid of guys like ta Oscar andau Haanio Suarez, to eliminate strikeouts and
things like that. But you're alsoobviously kind of Robin Peter to pay Paul.

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Was it all worth it? Youthink, will it be all worth
it to say goodbye to Tao andAohanio and say hello to guys like Urius
and Hanneger? To me, absolutelynot. I'd like if Hannager can stay
healthy. I think he's a definitepositive attribute to that team. So far,
so good. He's off to agood start that he loves playing in

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Seattle, that's kind of his home. The city really really take has taken
to Hanniger. But the other wayfor me, I'll take Suarez and ti
Oscar and I'll love with the strikeoutsbecause we're in the day and age.
People are going to strike out.And I don't care who you bring in
unless you bring in the Krem dela Crem, you're gonna strike out.
I thought moving Suarez man, hewas an underrated defender, not breaking the

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back salary wise, and I knowwhat I'm getting with him. I know
I'm getting an upbeat guy that wasbeloved in that clubhouse, a leader.
He went to the post day inand day out. He never missed games,
he wasn't injured. He's gonna driveyou in ninety to one hundred runs.
He's gonna hit twenty five homeworks.Ti Oscar the same thing. You're
gonna have to live with the strikeouts, and he's gonna hit twenty five or
thirty and driving close to one hundred. That's a lot of ribs. That's

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a lot of power to leave onthe table. And that defensive third base
was really good. Not to mention, I really think the quality of Suarez
brought. And I don't know Suarezpersonally, but just the vibe I got
from the other players being around him. He was a real positive light in
that clubhouse, and I think sometimesthat doesn't come out in the scorebook,

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but those things are pretty important.So for me, no, I would
have kept that offense. It's theway it was. But I think these
guys are capable. Polanco three yearsago hit thirty three homers. We'll see
if he does that. Garver's offto a bad start, had a good
year for the Texas Rangers a yearago. We'll see if he pans out.
But for me, no, Iwould have kept it easy to say
that now, but I would havesaid that three weeks ago. I would

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have kept it the way it wasOffensively. You mentioned the Astros, and
I mean, it's unbelievable. I'mnot only the record, how about the
er Brett. They are twenty ninthin baseball with a five point one zero
team earned run average. Is thissomething that is going to stick around?
I mean, are we watching thedemise of the Houston Astros and they're going
to be a seventy five win baseballteam this year? Well, I think,

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you know, I think the divisionsis vulnerable if it's as it's ever
good. I think the Texas Rangersaren't as good as they were a year
ago. They got a lot ofquestion marks, even with the Grom And
sure they're waiting in the wings tocome back to second half, that's not
exactly put that in concrete. SoI think they're weaker. I look at
this Astros team and I'm kind ofeven though they've had a ton of injuries

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early in the season. They're sevenand sixteen, their worst start, and
I don't remember how long. Youstill got that core, and you got
out to Bay and you got theyoung shortstop Payne who's coming back with a
big year. Tucker's at MVP candidateAlvarez. Look at that pitching staff.
Valdez went down, He's coming backsoon. Javier went down. I mean
that's a two and three from ayear ago. He went down with a

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neck injury or quit. He's beenout the whole year. Who knows if
mccullors is ever going to come back, But I look at those injuries,
that's a lot to be missing.You missed Verlander. He came back at
his first out and the other daylooked he's defying. He's like fifty seven
years old and he's still acting likea number one starter. He's back.
That bullpen is where they improved thisoffseason. They just decided to really bolster

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an already powerful bullpen. Ad haterto Presley, they both I look at
that. Maybe it's a clubhouse thing. I mean, Presley he's a pro.
He's been a mainstay in the endof that bull been for Houston for
years and now you bring in JoshHater. I think Houston didn't do it
to disrespect Presley. I just thinkthey saw the best reliever out there on

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paper and they went and got him. Now that's not always great though,
when you get into Hey Presley sittingthere going wow, what I haven't done
a good enough job. No,I don't think that's what management was thinking.
I just think they wanted to addand have great But it started off
rough for those two guys. They'repros. They'll work it out. And
I'm telling you Valdez Jabber come backand Verlander remains healthy. You can't sleep

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on the Houston Astros, especially howpowerful that that lineup is. It's still
they're all in their prime, they'reall having big years. You can't sleep
on that Astros team. That beingsaid, I think there is vulnerable as
they've ever been. That division whenthat I'm speaking of, and I think
ninety ninety two games this year Ithink gets you the division bren zones with

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us. So your phone's cutting outagain, Man, we got to get
you a new phone. No,but it hasn't done that in a while.
You're the only how do you knowthat the guy you're at the other
end. All right, am Iin a better spot? Who's your cell
phone carrier, by the way,that'd be AT and T. All right,
we're gonna we're gonna call AT andT and get that fix. Well,

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Brett Boone's with us, And youmentioned Munno's there for a second.
And look, obviously it's only beenyou know what, eight games for him
so far, but his whip isgoing up and up and up ever since
twenty twenty two. And there's timeswhere Andris Munoz just looks like a ninja,
just slicing people up right and left, and then other times just looks
like a total train wreck. Imean, there's a lot about Andris Munoz

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A love, but what I don'tlove is a one point six whip out
of my closer race is putting waytoo many guys on base period. What
are your thoughts on Munno's and howmuch confidence you have in him if he
does become the full time closer forthis baseball team. Well, I don't
think Munos. Munos has definitely gotthe closer stuff, that's not arguable.
I think we watched that and likeyou said, given night, it's the

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opposition. There's no chance but there'smore to closing than that. He seems
to be a pretty high emotions guy. And just like the other day,
bit bit and all of a suddenwe lose the game and the inning barely
had started. So the only thingis you've got that nasty stuff. Believe
me, being an opponent, beingin that opponent dugout and seeing Munio's come

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to the game, that's no funhaving to go face that, especially when
he's got his good stuff. He'sa hundred and he's one hundred and one
miles an hour, and he's gotthat slider that he can get into the
nineties. As a hitter, youdon't want to face that. But at
the same time, you know thathe's vulnerable and has days where he's wild,
he doesn't throw strike one. Ithink for the Mariners, they've been
so solid in that bullpen, anda guy like Stanic, if he needs

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to step in and be that closer, I think he's not only got the
experience, but he's got the stuffto do it. So I think they're
fine. They'll work it out,they'll find a way. Munyos is going
to have to one day just takeit, take the bull by the horns.
And say I am the closer andprove it for a long period of
time. In the meantime, Ithink Service is going to go with a
committee. If Muno saysn't have it, fine, Muno's gonna be back in

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that position again. But if heblows another one, hey, maybe you
turn it to stannic, you know, back and forth until somebody just takes
that job and rides with it,kind of like a seawall. Did you
know in years past, bro,we've just seen an epidemic of arm injuries
with pictures in recent years. Youwould think it would get better as the
innings are limited for these starting pitchers. But I'm wondering if maybe the opposite

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is true, that if you wereto stretch these guys out more like they
used to be, you know,pitching seven to third, eight innings,
one hundred and thirty, one hundredand forty pitches, that they might pace
themselves a little more and might leadto fewer arm injuries. That does that
make sense? Maybe this came upand I did a lot of you know,

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I made a lot of phone calls, and I talked to a lot
of ex teammates and some pitchers andask them Hey, what do you think
the reason is? One guy Italked to you said the heavy ball that
we all used to train with.These guys now they throw with velocity.
One one X pitcher thought that wasthe case. I saw Pedro Martinez came
out and said, they babed theseguys so much in the minor leagues and

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thinking to the big leagues, andthey expect him to go full tilt.
That may be another reason, butall the reasons, you know. I
talked to doctors. I see whatthey're saying. Everything says this, and
this is what I'm going with,and I think I think I'm on,
I'm not onto something. But everythingthat that I looked at, I think
this makes the most sense. Yearsago, when I was coming up,

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pitchers didn't train that way. Theyplayed football, they played basketball, they
played baseball. Now, as theyouth sports, Johnny has a game on
Saturday, he's limited to sixty pitches. Okay, that's fine. I think
that should be in place for youngplayers. You can't throw until next Thursday.
Well, the problem is is hegoes to Team B his other team
on Sunday and throws pitches. Ithink they're they're training at too young of

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an age at mac for and goingfor maximum velocity, and I think it's
finally coming home to roost. Youknow, years ago it was Tommy John
was big league pitchers. That wasthe main candidate for Tommy John. Then
it went to big league in minorleague pitchers. Now youth baseball outweighs big
leagues and minor leagues for the numberof surgeries that they have. So I
think it's finally coming home the roost. The way these kids train, the

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way they play at an early age, they just wear themselves out, and
then all of a sudden they're minorleaguers and big leaguers, and now it
comes home up. Now you finallyhurt your arm because of the abuse did
in your earlier years. That's whatI thought. I talked to Rick Griffin,
the trainer of the Mariners for thirtyyears. He said he has a
problem with how pitchers today, howthey work in between starts, flat ground

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versus on the mounds. So there'sa lot of different theories out there,
but I think it's just the waythese kids at a young age put too
much stress on their arm. Bythe time they get to pro ball and
big leagues, man, it's timefor that ligament to give way. So
that's my thoughts so far on everything. And everybody talk to hey Boone before
you go. Bret Boone again withus Turnesa a Venue Kings normally on Thursday,

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but the Draft is on Thursday,so Boone graciously readjusting his schedule for
us. Give us a take onDane Dunning tonight, John Gray, Andrew
Heeney. What the m's will seein this series against the Rangers starting tonight,
all a little bit different. Imean, all pros. You're gonna
miss Blanco, that's good. He'sbeen hot for them all season. Dunning

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is just he's a pro. They'reall good, but they're all not top
guys. You're gonna miss e Balday, I think too, so you're missing
their two best. So I thinkthey're there for the taking. They're good.
Haini's decent. He's a kind ofa He was in Anaheim. He
had a lot of problems. Theymoved him, and then they moved him
to Texas. He kind of hekind of fell into a good role there.
I don't think much. I don'tthink. I think if we come

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out pitch the way we do theseguys can't hold this Mariner lineup down too
much. I think they're lucky,missing Blanco and missing a balday. Your
brother made headlines yesterday, didn't hewould you? I can't tell you how
many texting and I said, whydid that happen? Brett Oh, let
me, Well, the reason ithappened is the umpire looks over. Aaron's

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got a reputation of chirping from thedugout. He says, Aaron, I
don't care if you say it wereone of your players. You're responsible for
that dugout. And if I hearanother word, you're getting throng. Well,
he hears some guy. He thinksit's from the dugout. Come to
find out it's a fan. Aarongets tossed. He doesn't know why he
gets tossed. So it wasn't somethingthat that he went after Aaron and knew

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that a fan yelled. He thoughtit was a player and ended up He's
gonna get a slap on the wrist. Aeron'll get in no trouble at all,
and he shouldn't. But it's justanother fun thing in the world of
Aaron Boom. Yeah. Well,I think if you were a manager you'd
get tossed even more. I'll tellyou what. I'll tell you what how
many times? And I all right, the podcast. You haven't talked about

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my podcast, but I'll tell youwhat. I had Teddy Barrett the other
day. He was an umpire inthe big leagues twenty nine years. He
just retired recently, and I askedhim this question. I'll ask you and
Dick this question. How many timesin the minor leagues in the big league
seventeen years, did Brett Boone getthrown out of the game? Just a
guess, Uh, in seventeen years, miners and majors kicked out of a

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game twice. Three. You canthrow college into if you want twice once.
Yeah, But that's different. Asa player, though, that's different
as a player. I think asa manager you would have lost your mind.
Let me tell you this, softie. It's called having a It's called
know in the situation. You know, remember when you're in seventh grade and

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you're you're kind of the class clownand if the teacher might like you,
you'll push the envelope to a certainpoint. But some days that teacher comes
in and she's not in a goodmood. And she gives it that look
like you're right at that point beforeit's not very cute anymore, and you
know how to back off. I'vegot that ability, all right, envelope.
Yeah, push it right to thepoint. I used to do it

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as a player. I knew it. Frank told me be behind the plate
and I'd be screaming at him,and Frank would give me that look and
those eyes would get big, andI know right there that means I'm really
close to getting thrown But if Ithrottle back right now, maybe say something
funny, I can move on andplay another inning. So that's what happened
to me there. I don't thinkI gets thrown money, all right,

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Well, then tell your brother thatfor trying out. He's been thrown up
thirty four times. The thing aboutAaron and I laugh and I tell them
all the time. I said,Eric, give it a rest. We
all know you protect your players,all right. You're the great guy that
protects your players more than anybody else. We all know that. But just
give it a rest and quit chirpingabout every pitch. We know you're product.

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And he just says, oh,Brett, you know, I just
get emotional that's Aaron. That's theway he is. He's no different than
when he was twelve years old arguingabout uh, touch football in the street.
That's the way he is. That'sthat's real right there. That's not
that's not fabricated or premeditated. That'show many times? How many times you
say it was that thirty four sinceto the eighteen. That's number one in

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baseball. Loup Panela looks at him. It's his man. That's a lot,
all right, Bony, great stuff. We're talking a week. Yeah,
who doesn't We gotta go. We'retalking a week. Man. Enjoy
the draft and we'll talk on Thursday. All right, pal, you gotta
all right? Brett Boone with uson the radio show. We'll get a
break. We're live at Husky Stadiumfor spring ball. Mina Chimes joins us

(19:22):
at five testimonials at four forty five. And there's a rumor that you and
Dick are floating around somewhere Humill andDick Baird. I haven't seen him yet.
They're probably watching practice over there onthe other feetal practice actually away from
us. We're gonna break a lotmore to get to from you job.
But I'm busy Tuesday right here onninety three to three KJRFM,