A shoulder injury threw Blue Jays prospect Patrick Murphy a curve, but he has brought his bread-and-butter pitch back to the majors

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This article was published 19/06/2021 (1612 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The curveball has been a pitch so inherent to Patrick Murphy’s game for so long that he can’t recall where he learned it.

It’s a question Murphy is asked a lot. Some have called the pitch his calling card because of the level of command he possess when he is at his best. It has been a part of his arsenal since he was 11 or 12 years old.

“It’s been my favourite pitch since I was a little kid and I’ve always had a pretty good one,” Murphy said Thursday, a day after he was recalled to the Blue Jays bullpen for the first time this season.

The 26-year-old right-hander might have been up in the big leagues much earlier if he hadn’t sprained the AC joint in his shoulder last fall, an injury that requires a four- to six-month rehabilitation. Many had projected Murphy would crack the big-league roster out of spring training, not knowing he was working his way back to full health. Murphy knew it was going to be a long haul.

That return finally came to fruition Wednesday, after Murphy was reinstated from the 60-day injured list following a rehab assignment with the Buffalo Bisons, where he gave up one run on two hits over 6 1/3 innings. He logged a strikeout in a clean inning against the New York Yankees, his first MLB outing in front of fans after four appearances last September, including his big-league debut.

“It was pretty cool … it’s the most fans I’ve probably ever pitched in front of,” Murphy said. “It was a loud crowd, a lot of them were Yankees fans, but it was still pretty cool to pitch in front of them.”

Murphy had joined Toronto at a difficult time for the Jays bullpen, whose collective ERA this month was 5.47 through Friday. Given the need for effective relievers, and the relatively small group of healthy options Toronto currently has in its system, the promotion of Toronto’s No. 20 prospect was anticipated.

But Murphy is still gaining experience and can’t be expected to be some kind of saviour despite the expectations he drew coming into the year. This is his first season working strictly as a reliever, and while he posted a 1.50 ERA with five strikeouts over his first four big-league starts last year, that encompassed all of six innings.

There will be bumps along the way, as fans saw Friday when Murphy gave up three runs on as many hits in 1 1/3 innings during a 7-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. The benefit of being a reliever, at least, is that Murphy no longer has to wait so long to put those kinds of performances behind him.

“I don’t have to wait around five days anymore to get back out there and redeem myself, so I really enjoy it,” he said.

Manager Charlie Montoyo said this week he is not afraid to use Murphy on back-to-back days, no matter that he is just back from injury.

“I’ve gotten my body in a good spot to where I know what I need each day to be ready for the next day,” Murphy said. “I’m not throwing as many pitches as I was as a starter so it’s a little easier on the body, I feel, personally.”

That’s a good starting point, at least If Murphy can stay healthy, the Jays can gain a better understanding of how Murphy, the power pitcher with a bread-and-butter curveball, can help the team in the short and long term.　　　　　　　　

DOWN THE PIPE

The Blue Jays’ prospect pipeline is among the best in baseball. Here’s a look at one player at each level who excelled over the past week.

Triple-A: 3B Kevin Smith, Buffalo

Smith continued his strong season at the plate this week, going 8-for-24 with three walks and six RBIs. The performance included a two-homer night Tuesday against Rochester. Smith led the Bisons in hits (36), doubles (10), home runs (9), RBIs (29), walks (20), on-base percentage (.389), slugging percentage (.595), and on-base plus slugging percentage (.984) heading into play on Saturday.

Double-A: C Gabriel Moreno, New Hampshire

If there is one prospect in the Jays system who has consistently excelled in through the first six weeks of the season, it’s Moreno, whose .374/.430/.636 slash line and 1.065 OPS is the best in Double-A Northeast. He added seven hits, two home runs — including a grand slam — and eight RBIs in five games before Saturday.

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High-A: RHP CJ Van Eyk, Vancouver

One of Vancouver’s most consistent arms, Van Eyk has lowered his ERA from 5.87 through four starts in May to 3.00 through three starts in June. He held the Everett AquaSox to one run on three hits over five innings in last week’s start.

Low-A: RHP Alex Nolan, Dunedin

The Brock University alum has pitched nine innings of one-run ball coming out of the bullpen this month. His ERA, which was at 18.00 on June 5, was down to 4.09 through Friday.

Laura Armstrong is a Star sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @lauraarmy