Shelby Miller searching for answers after rough outing
PITTSBURGH – Shelby Miller’s fits of wildness seemingly behind him, Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale said on Tuesday afternoon it was time for Miller to begin pitching like the No. 2 starter the club thought it was acquiring in December.
That version of Miller did not show up at PNC Park on Tuesday night, leaving the Diamondbacks to continue waiting – and hoping – for him to eventually resurface.
Their patience has to be wearing thin. After he was tagged for six runs in five innings of a 12-1 drubbing by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Miller saw his ERA climb to 7.09 through 10 starts.
Miller is through nearly a third of the season and has logged just one quality start, a threshold that’s more about adequacy (six innings, three runs on the low end) than excellence. He has logged just 45 2/3 innings. He has only one more strikeout than walk.
“It’s crazy,” Miller said, speaking quietly in the visiting clubhouse after the game. “I’m not near as bad a pitcher as the numbers I’m putting up. If the game was easy, I guess everybody would play it.
“It’s one of those things where I’m not pitching well. Bottom line is, I’m falling behind in counts and giving up big innings and just kind of putting us in a hole.”
BOX SCORE: Pirates 12, Diamondbacks 1
Much has gone wrong so far in the Diamondbacks’ season. They lost star center fielder A.J. Pollock to what is likely a season-ending elbow injury. High-dollar ace Zack Greinke began his season on an uneven note. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt has not looked like himself. And outfielder David Peralta has missed time with a wrist injury.
But nothing has been as stunning as Miller’s struggles. When they parted with three players, including No. 1 pick Dansby Swanson, during the winter meetings to get Miller from the Atlanta Braves, the Diamondbacks believed they were getting a pitcher on the upswing, a power arm that might develop into a No. 1 starter.
But Miller has been anything but. He has struggled to throw strikes. The velocity on his fastball is down close to 2 mph from last year. He is giving up more loud contact and more big innings.
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Most of that was on display on Tuesday night. He walked four, including the first batter he faced on the night. He gave up a long home run, a three-run shot to Gregory Polanco in the first.
And, two innings later, he was unable to stop the bleeding, allowing Jordy Mercer to drive a fastball over Chris Owings’ head in center field for a two-run double, then giving up an RBI single to opposing pitcher Francisco Liriano.
“I feel good – I feel mechanically good,” Miller said. “It’s just not really going our way right now. It’s my fault. I’m definitely not pitching near as good as I can. I’m just going to find ways to take the positives from each start – the positives that there are. And you go with that and you try to get better.”
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Opponents have scored two runs or more off Miller in 10 separate innings this season.
Miller vowed to work as hard as he can to figure things out, saying he wasn’t raised to give up when times get tough.
“It’s just one of those things,” he said, “where it’s a matter of time where hopefully everything starts clicking.”
Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.
Wednesday’s game
Diamondbacks at Pirates
When: 4:05 p.m.
Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh.
Pitchers: Diamondbacks RHP Rubby De La Rosa (4-4, 3.53) vs. Pirates LHP Jeff Locke (2-3, 5.00).
TV/Radio: FSAZ/KTAR-AM (620), KSUN-AM (1400).
De La Rosa will be making his first start in 10 days, as the Diamondbacks took advantage of a pair of recent off days to get the banged up right-hander time to rest some nagging injuries (triceps, groin, blister). … De La Rosa has been impressive in his past five starts, posting a 1.93 ERA in 32 2/3 innings, walking 10 and striking out 33. … He threw well against the Pirates at the start of this current hot streak, giving up one run in six innings on April 23. … Locke gave up two runs in seven innings against the Braves in his most recent outing. … He has given up three runs or less in six of his eight starts but was roughed up (six runs and eight runs) in his other two. … Locke hasn’t faced the Diamondbacks since 2014.
Coming up
Thursday: At Pittsburgh, 9:35 a.m., Diamondbacks LHP Patrick Corbin (2-3, 3.99) vs. Pirates RHP Gerrit Cole (5-3, 2.79).
Friday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Robbie Ray (0-2, 3.34) vs. Padres RHP Cesar Vargas (0-2, 3.34).
Saturday: At Chase Field, 7:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zack Greinke (5-3, 4.59) vs. Padres RHP Colin Rea (3-2, 4.47).