Maryland baseball closer John Murphy’s first pitch Sunday hit Northwestern first baseman Willie Bourbon on the ankle. After a bunt, he walked the next batter and uncorked a wild pitch.
Pitching coach Corey Muscara’s subsequent mound visit settled Murphy enough to tight-rope out of danger in the eighth, meaning first baseman Kevin Biondic’s two-run homer in the bottom of the frame gave the Terps a 4-3 lead.
But Murphy ran into more trouble in the ninth, allowing a single, hit batsman and walk to load the bases, continuing season-long issues with his command.
Following his outing against Richmond last week, in which Murphy surrendered his second home run of the season, coach Rob Vaughn maintained his trust in the junior as the go-to late-game option. Despite the erratic display Sunday, Vaughn and players upheld that belief.
“It was just kind of one of those things. It gets a little tight, it gets in a big situation, maybe you’re overthrowing a tick,” Vaughn said. “With the stuff we’ve got going here, that guy is literally the least of my concerns.”
[Read more: Kevin Biondic’s eighth-inning blast gives Maryland baseball a 4-3 win vs. Northwestern]
Maryland lost eight relievers and 160 innings from last season. That left Murphy as the most experienced option in a bullpen, and while then-coach John Szefc shied away from naming anyone the closer last season, Murphy’s late-game form at the end of last campaign earned him the title from Vaughn entering this season.
[Read more: Walk-off walk gives Maryland baseball 6-5 win over Northwestern]
But Murphy has walked more batters and allowed more home runs in 18 2/3 fewer innings than last year. In his 10 appearances, he’s allowed a baserunner against him in all but two.
Biondic, who has picked up pitching duties for the first time in college to counteract a thin relief corps, took over for Murphy on Sunday and needed one pitch to escape the ninth-inning jam and secure the win.
“We go well off each other,” Biondic said. “If I don’t do a good job, I think he’s going to be the next guy to just pick me up. So, he’ll get me sometime later in the season.”
Biondic and right-hander Mike Vasturia, a redshirt freshman, have been the Terps’ two most consistent bullpen arms. None of Maryland’s other relievers have ERA’s below a 6.19, so despite Murphy’s 11 walks and four hit batters in 13 innings, the team will continue to rely on him.
“Honestly, we don’t really pay attention to any of the stats,” catcher Justin Morris said. “We’ve got guys who can come in and get outs. … The more our guys just keep believing and attacking hitters, we’ll be in good shape.”
Biondic attributed some of Murphy’s wildness to his efforts to learn new pitches. Vaughn said he was encouraged to see Murphy use a slider to strike out center fielder Ben Dickey in the eighth, and he used two backdoor breaking balls to start an at-bat later in the game.
Morris believes Murphy’s off-speed stuff is formidable, but he doesn’t need much beyond his overpowering fastball. Still, the last time Murphy had a 1-2-3 inning was Feb. 28. He’s allowed eight hits, six walks and three hit batters in his past 7 2/3 innings.
Murphy is on pace to surpass his strikeout total from 2017, but his lack of control has hampered his success. He has walked 18 percent of the batters he has faced this season.
“He just needs to get back down and … stick to what he does,” Morris said. “He’s really good when he’s controlling the zone and controlling the inner-half of the plate.”
