Pirates Pitching Coach Confident Team Will Improve On The Mound originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh.
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Pittsburgh Pirates pitching coach Bill Murphy is confident the team will soon find themselves on the mound.
Murphy is in his first year as the Pirates pitching coach and he has success in his career, as in 2022, he was the Houston Astros’ assistant pitching coach and helped the bullpen have a 2.80 ERA, which is the second-best bullpen in the last five seasons.
So, as the Pirates pitching staff has struggled as of late, Murphy spoke to MLB.com and revealed he’s relying on past experiences and likes how some pitchers are throwing the ball.
“There were some points of my career in Houston where our bullpen went through stretches that we’ve gone through, and we’ve gotten out of them,” Murphy said. “We had some great bullpens, and it was by some people who were unsung heroes, and I feel like we have that on our team right now. We just haven’t seen it yet, but I know it’s there.”
The big issue that Murphy is focusing on is the number of walks the pitching staff is giving up. Pittsburgh has walked 287 batters, which is the ninth most in the MLB, so Murphy said that is the focus on getting back on track.
“I think every pitcher wants to throw strikes; they’re not trying to walk the person,” Murphy said. “Maybe they get into a particular count, and they execute and the hitter doesn’t swing; that happens. But it’s having the ability and the mindset to attack hitters in any situation.”
The Pirates have a team ERA of 4.17, which ranks 16th in baseball.
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