The odd, recurring mechanical flaw causing Shelby Miller to struggle
Shelby Miller walked five batters in two inning Thursday. He continues to battle an odd mechanical flaw in which he hits his hand on the ground during his follow through.
By
Mike Axisa
•
2 min read
On Thursday, Diamondbacks right-hander Shelby Miller made his fourth start with his new team, and much like the first three, it did not go well. He allowed two runs in two innings, and walked five batters, including each the first four batters in the third inning. That ended his afternoon. Only 23 of his 55 pitches were strikes. (ARI 6, SF 2)
Through four starts this season Miller has an 8.59 ERA and a 1.98 WHIP in 14 2/3 innings. He's walked 11 and struck out 10, which is very bad. Arizona gave up a huge package of young players over the winter to acquire Miller, so they weren't just expecting him to be adequate. They brought him in to dominate, and it hasn't happened.
Beyond the poor numbers, Miller has also struggled mechanically. Specifically, he's had trouble with his follow through, which has led to him hitting his pitching hand on the ground after releasing the pitch. He left his previous start with cuts on his hand, then, on Thursday, the same thing happened.
Here's a clip of Miller hitting his hand on the ground Thursday afternoon. It's tough to see -- the broadcast did not show any other angles -- but some dirt does kick up from the mound after Miller's hand hits:
I can't say I've ever seen that before. Plenty of pitchers have drop-and-drive deliveries, but not that extreme. Hitting your hand on the ground seems like it would be difficult to do even if you tried.
Miller and the D-Backs' coaching staff worked in the bullpen following his last start to fix that mechanical flaw, though obviously the adjustment didn't take. From Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic:
Manager Chip Hale said he’d never seen anything like it, not for a pitcher with an over-the-top delivery. The Diamondbacks believe Miller sorted out his mechanics during his between-starts bullpen session this week.
“He’s staying more upright,” Hale said. “It’s just something he’s been working on and he was doing a really good job of that in his pen.”
Needless to say, hitting your hand on the mound could lead to control problems and explain the five walks in two innings Thursday. If Miller's hand was hurt, sore, cut, whatever, he may not have been able to hold the baseball properly, and if a pitcher can't hold the ball properly, he's not going to locate. It's pretty simple.
Miller is listed at 6-foot-3 on the team's official site, so he's a pretty big guy. He has to reach down a long way to hit his hand on the mound, that's what makes this so unusual. It's unclear if Miller suffered some kind of injury on Thursday. A cut or a bruise that could cause him to miss his next start. Something like that.
Keep in mind the concern is not only about Miller's hand. The Diamondbacks want to make sure Miller is not doing something wrong mechanically that could lead to a different injury. There's always worry a pitcher will change his delivery and have it lead to elbow or shoulder problems. This stuff can be very tricky.
For now, the D-Backs have to hope this odd mechanical flaw is the root cause of Miller's problems early this season. They gave up an awful lot to get him and need him to have an impact to contend in the NL West. It's good they saw progress in the bullpen between starts, but obvious Thursday was a step back.
