When Maryland baseball starter Taylor Bloom left the mound following Illinois’ five-run fifth inning last weekend, he seemed a shell of the pitcher expected to anchor the Terps’ rotation this season.

His delivery was neither as crisp as usual, nor as effective. His breaking pitches didn’t hit the zone and his fastball didn’t sink. As a result, the senior surrendered 10 runs in his sixth loss of the campaign.

“That’s probably the worst outing of my entire college career,” Bloom said.

[Read more: Maryland baseball returned to its roots with five steals against James Madison]

But even though Maryland hasn’t won a game with Bloom on the bump since March 2, coach Rob Vaughn hasn’t asked the Severna Park native to change his approach entering his Friday start against Michigan.

Instead, Vaughn wants his lineup to finally give Bloom sufficient run support after struggling to do so in recent weeks. The Terps have supplied just 2.4 runs per game in his past five outings.

[Read more: Maryland baseball overcomes offensive struggles in 2-1 win over James Madison]

“Sometimes when that happens, pitchers grip a little bit tighter and it’s like, ‘I can’t give up a run,'” Vaughn said. “It’s a lot more about just giving him some breathing room than it is him needing to make some adjustment.”

Bloom never settled in against Illinois. He allowed three runs before recording an out, including an RBI double to first baseman Bren Spillane that was crushed to left-center field. By the time Vaughn pulled the plug after the fifth, Bloom had allowed the most runs, walks and extra-base hits of his career.

It was not the usual Bloom, who so often maneuvers around adversity to supply the Terps with at least seven innings. He’s reached that mark in five of his eight starts in 2018 and is on pace to break former right-hander Mike Shawaryn’s career innings pitched record.

“Mentally, I just felt like I kind of wasn’t there,” Bloom said. “Partly probably because, you know, delivery was off. That can kind of get into your head.”

In the past, Bloom has found success even if a certain pitch isn’t working. With his off-speed stuff faltering against Northwestern two weekends ago, he relied on his fastball to overcome a three-run second frame and last eight innings.

But with none of his offerings fooling the Illini, he couldn’t piece together a decent performance, often leaving the ball up in the zone.

Given Bloom’s 5.20 ERA, more support from the Terps’ batting order against Michigan this weekend could be crucial for the team to earn its first series-opening win in more than a month, and for the hurler to gain confidence.

“He’s shown throughout his career that he’s a consistent guy, and he’ll get back and get right for us,” catcher Justin Morris said. “It’s always easier playing ahead than playing behind. Usually when we can score first we’re pretty good.”

The last time Maryland scored first with Bloom on the mound was Feb. 23, encapsulating the recent dire affairs at the plate for the Terps. They’re hitting .232, and while they are finding ways to get more runners on base, it hasn’t yet translated into improved run production. The team left 30 runners on base last weekend.

Michigan boasts the Big Ten’s second-best ERA, increasing the difficulty of an offensive turnaround for Maryland on Friday. So while Vaughn said it’s on his lineup to boost Bloom, the hurler might need to fend for himself to secure his third win of the year.