Chris Murphy threw a near perfect outing in first relief appearance for WooSox
The pitching woes for the WooSox have been on full display as May comes to an end. Plenty of guys on the pitching staff are in desperate need of a few good outings stringed together.
Chris Murphy is at the top of that list.
Murphy struggled over his first nine starts and struggled might be an understatement. The 24-year-old carried a 8.35 ERA and opponents had a .325 batting average against him. Walks were very troubling in his outings as he had given up 25 walks in 36 innings. His 6.1 BB/9 is the highest it’s ever been in his career.
The same story would not continue on Thursday.
The WooSox announced prior to the game that Murphy would no longer be starting and instead be used as a reliever after an opener. We saw the team do something similar just last week with fellow left-hander Brandon Walter.
Murphy entered the game in the third inning and pitched three innings. He would only allow one hit and he struck out three. The craziest part?
Zero walks.
In his nine previous outings this season, he has given up at least one walk in every game. Thursday’s relief appearance would be the first time he put up a zero in the walk column. It was also the first scoreless outing of the season, which saw his ERA lower to 7.71.
Murphy is one of the Red Sox top pitching prospects and is currently a member of the 40-man roster. This relief outing could simply be a test to see how he looked in relief, as the lefties in the Red Sox bullpen have struggled this year. It could also mean a potential switch to the bullpen full time, as the lefty hasn’t looked as good as a starter. It will take quite a few outings like this over the next couple of months to even consider the lefty for the MLB bullpen.
We will have more answers once the WooSox return home from one of their longest road trips of the season. Murphy’s scheduled day comes next Wednesday against the Rochester Red Wings.
Follow Andrew on Twitter @ByAndrewParker
For additional Red Sox and Major League Baseball content, follow Beyond the Monster: Boston Red Sox on Twitter @BeyondtheMnstr
Join our new Facebook group for all of our latest content, click the link here.
