Red Sox Reliever Made Tweak That’s Paying Early Dividends

The Boston Red Sox aren’t getting much from their starting pitching, and it’s hurting them. Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman have been lights out at the back of the bullpen, but Alex Cora is having a hard time piecing together the middle innings.

Brennan Bernardino was a reliable left-handed arm, but he went down with a shoulder injury and is unlikely to return this season, leaving the team down a man in the bullpen. Chris Murphy took his place on the roster and has allowed one run in eight innings in September.

Against the Athletics on Wednesday, Murphy found himself on the mound with the game hanging in the balance. He entered in the tenth inning to face Rookie of the Year favorite Nick Kurtz with two outs and runners on the corners.

Murphy struck Kurtz out on four pitches, and the Red Sox went on to win the game in the bottom half of the inning. Three of the four pitches were sinkers, the new pitch he added to his repertoire.

According to Tim Healey of the Boston Globe, when the Red Sox sent Murphy to Triple-A Worcester in August, they wanted him to learn to throw a sinker to left-handed hitters. Throwing sinkers to same-handed hitters is common for pitchers. By throwing it inside, it’s a great way to earn quick outs and strikes because the horizontal movement makes it so difficult to square up.

After Kurtz fouled a sinker for strike two, Murphy turned to his four-seam fastball and blew it past the lefty. His fastball and sinker each spin on the same axis, making it difficult for hitters to differentiate between the two. The sinker has more drop and arm side movement, whereas the fastball stays vertical and doesn’t run as much. By starting the pitch on the inside edge, Kurtz had to make a decision, and he swung underneath the fastball.

While the sinker might not suddenly vault Murphy into elite relief pitcher status, it gives him another weapon to use against left-handed hitters. On the season, he’s walking 11% of the lefties he faces. The new fastball should help him earn more strikes and pitch from ahead in the count, rather than falling behind and having to be perfect.

The Red Sox need to score more runs in the final weeks of the season, there’s no doubt about that. If they can’t, they’ll need to hold whatever leads they can grab. Finding a bridge from the starters to Whitlock and Chapman is a key part of that, and Murphy might play a big role in doing so, especially with his new sinker.