Andrew Miller

He will

GO MILLER!

There are too many teams for me to watch now, I got confused and missed Miller's last game I think, though, that it wasn't good

03/10/09 2:07 PM ET
Miller's pitching makeover progresses
Reviving sinker, left-hander hurls successful simulated game

By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com

JUPITER, Fla. -- Add another objective to Andrew Miller's Spring Training.

In the process of adjusting to a more simplified delivery, Miller also is trying to regain the touch on his two-seam fastball -- or sinker.

It's a pitch that was effective for him in college at the University of North Carolina. It's a pitch he threw early in his Minor League career when he was in the Tigers system. But the last few years, it's a pitch he hasn't thrown much, if at all.

"I'm trying to work on my two-seamer, a pitch that completely disappeared the last couple of years," Miller said on Tuesday. "I threw a lot of them today. I threw some good ones and some really bad ones, but that's what today was really for."

Tuesday was technically an off-day for the Marlins. But on Field Two behind Roger Dean Stadium, the 6-foot-7 left-hander tossed 65 pitches in a simulated game against Minor League hitters.

There were no fielders behind him. Instead, pitching coach Mark Wiley was positioned in back of the mound, protected by a screen.

The close view gave Wiley a chance to talk directly to Miller, who continues to undergo a pitching makeover in his mechanics from last year.

"A lot of times I don't do that," Wiley said of being so close to the pitcher. "Today, because it was a simulated thing, I wanted to be able to say certain things to him, sort of subtle things. I told him some pitches I wanted him to throw and where I wanted him to throw.

"He threw some good changeups today. His changeup is getting better. Every one of them was on the plate where the hitter had to make a decision, which is really good."

The two-seam fastball, Wiley says, gives Miller another "challenge pitch." If he gains command of that pitch, which has downward movement, it will keep hitters from focusing on straight fastballs.

"When you get command of it, and you're behind in the count, and it is over the plate, it has a little more movement to it, as opposed to a straight fastball," Miller said.

Why did he abandon the two-seam fastball?

"I don't know. I just kind of got away from throwing it, and it hadn't been as good as it was in the past," Miller said. "I threw a lot of them in college, and a lot of them in Detroit in the Minor Leagues. I kind of got away from it for whatever reason in the big leagues."

Now, he's trying to bring it back.

"Every bullpen I throw, I'm working on it," he said. "Every time I throw, I try to figure out what I can do to get a better feel for it. I've just got to keep throwing it."

Foremost, the goal is to get Miller's refined delivery to the point where it feels natural. From there, specific pitches will come in time.

"He's working on a lot of stuff right now. He was pretty solid today," Wiley said.

Miller had been feeling sick the past few days, so he tired a bit late in his four inning simulated game.

The left-hander will next take the mound on Saturday, against the Twins in Fort Myers, Fla., and the focus will be to continue to build on what he's doing.

"With a guy like Andrew, who has had delivery issues and now we're kind of straightening him out, I told him: 'Believe me, if you keep practicing, it's going to get better and better,'" Wiley said. "'It's going to be much easier to make adjustments when you get out of whack. It will make it easier to make pitches when you've got to make pitches.'"

Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

I get to watch this today and so far, wow, they have changed his delivery so much. It's very short and more compact, which makes it faster and he doesn't seem to be throwing across his body as much, but it's not good. He can't throw a strike to save his life

SoulRat wrote:

I get to watch this today and so far, wow, they have changed his delivery so much. It's very short and more compact, which makes it faster and he doesn't seem to be throwing across his body as much, but it's not good. He can't throw a strike to save his life

Look on the bright side - if they need him to intentionally walk someone, he can consistently throw balls.

I also noticed that as the game went on, he reverted back to the longer delivery and throwing across his body and he did a lot better, 2 scoreless innings and some strike outs. Changing all this stuff is going to be awfully tough.

Sanchez to go before Miller in rotation
Lefty to begin season in Florida 'pen, get first start April 15

JUPITER, Fla. -- Everything is now in line as far the Marlins' rotation is concerned, as on Thursday, Florida manager Fredi Gonzalez put to rest speculation over who the team's fourth and fifth starters will be.

Anibal Sanchez will get the nod to pitch on April 10 against the New York Mets, Florida's fourth game.

"I'm happy and I'm excited to have a big year," said Sanchez, a Venezuela native who made 10 starts last year.

Left-hander Andrew Miller, meanwhile, will be the No. 5 starter. Miller will begin the season in the bullpen and not be sent to the Minor Leagues for a start. His first start will be April 15.

"[Miller] will be the long guy out of the 'pen," Gonzalez said. "He has thrown out of the 'pen before."

Because of early season off-days, Florida won't need a fifth starter until April 18. To give all five starters an extra day of rest, however, the team is slotting Miller in on April 15, when the Marlins are in Atlanta.

"I'm happy for him, too, because I didn't want him to go down [to the Minor Leagues]," Sanchez said. "He's thrown good in the spring. He should be with the team."

Miller will be available out of the bullpen until April 11. After that point, he will begin preparation for his first start.

Sanchez has one more Grapefruit League start lined up, on Saturday against the Blue Jays at Roger Dean Stadium. Miller is also expected to pitch in relief.

"Miller will be a middle, long reliever for a while," pitching coach Mark Wiley said. "We'll get him into some games."

A reason Sanchez is going in the rotation immediately ahead of Miller is because he is regaining his arm strength after 2007 right shoulder surgery. Sanchez had just one relief appearance in his MLB career, and that came when he was a rookie in 2006.

Sanchez entered Thursday with 29 2/3 innings of Grapefruit League action, the most of any Florida pitcher. The right-hander has a 1-2 spring mark with a 4.25 ERA, giving up 14 earned runs.

This spring, Miller has thrown 18 2/3 innings in Grapefruit League play, but he's also logged some innings in simulated games.

Miller is working on a new delivery and has added a changeup to his game. The extra few days before making his first start gives him more time to fine-tune his mechanics.

Last year, Miller threw out of the 'pen nine times to go with 20 starts.

The Marlins' rotation is Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson, Chris Volstad, Sanchez and Miller.

He threw out of the bullpen today... and well... his era is 0

SoulRat wrote:

He threw out of the bullpen today... and well... his era is 0

At least he didn't give up any runs.

At least he's still pitching.

He tried his damnedest, but, his era remains 0.00

SoulRat wrote:

He tried his damnedest, but, his era remains 0.00

In the end that's what everyone is going to notice. Maybe next time he'll actually pitch decent (and keep his ERA at 0). If not

catbox_9 wrote:

SoulRat wrote:

He tried his damnedest, but, his era remains 0.00

In the end that's what everyone is going to notice. Maybe next time he'll actually pitch decent (and keep his ERA at 0). If not

I meant to say he tried his damnedest to catch up with his former teammate Olsen, but his era remains at 0.00 :haha:

Pitched to 4 batters, got one out, gave up a hit and proceeded to walk 2 to load the bases Luckily the guy they put in next got him out of it. Maybe the fishie bullpen will be worth a damn this year

Go Marlins

Miller excited to rejoin Marlins rotation
Florida (6-1) at Atlanta (5-2), 7:00 p.m. ET

By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com

04/15/09 12:19 AM ET

ATLANTA -- It's taken eight games, but the Marlins rotation is finally at full strength.

By design, it had been shorthanded. All that will change on Wednesday.

Because of two off-days since Opening Day, Florida had been going with a four-man rotation. In the second game with the Braves at Turner Field, left-hander Andrew Miller joins the mix.

After beating the Braves, 5-1, on Tuesday, the Marlins are in position to claim the three-game series.

Until now, Miller had been working out of the bullpen, logging two relief appearances and two innings.

"I look forward to going out there and giving a good start," Miller said. "I'm glad it's finally here. The bullpen is kind of a stressful place. You're on edge night after night. I like the routine of a starter."

Not that Miller is complaining, but he is a starter who was accepting a part-time bullpen role.

Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez made the decision late in Spring Training to slot Anibal Sanchez as the fourth starter, and Miller in the fifth spot. The move was made in part because the team wanted to keep Sanchez, who is still getting back to form after right shoulder surgery in 2007, on a set schedule.

"I absolutely understood the reasoning. I wasn't at all surprised about it," Miller said. "I could see that coming. I'm here to work for the team. The team is not here to work for me. I do what they tell me to do."

For Miller, this is a big opportunity.

He last took the mound as a starter on July 13, 2008, at Dodger Stadium. The outing didn't go well, as he gave up seven runs in 1 2/3 innings in Florida's final game before the All-Star break.

After the break last year, Miller was placed on the disabled list with right patella tendinitis. When he was activated, he made nine appearances out of the bullpen.

In all, he had 20 starts last year. Over his career as a starter, Miller has a 10-14 (5.63 ERA) in 33 starts.

The strength of the Marlins is their young rotation -- Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson, Chris Volstad, Sanchez and Miller.

Miller wants to do his part in this talented group.

"I think so much is made out of the rotation as one piece," Miller said. "You can feed off it when things are going well and everybody goes on a roll. I know when I go out, and if I do my job, that's 20 percent of the equation. I want to do my part every fifth day, and basically make that a non-issue. I don't want people to say there is a soft spot, or 'this a game we have a chance to get 'em,' because I know the other guys are going to throw well."

Because Miller hasn't made a start since late in Spring Training, he will be on a pitch count between 85-100.

"I just want to go out and do my part, essentially," he said.

Pitching matchup
FLA: LHP Andrew Miller (0-0, 3.86 ERA)
Coming into his fourth season in the Major Leagues, Miller, the Marlins' No. 5 starter, will be making his first start of the year against the Braves. Last season, the 6-foot-7 23-year-old went 6-10 with a 5.87 ERA in 29 games -- 20 starts. Miller started the season in Florida's rotation, going 5-9 with a 5.63 ERA before landing on the 15-day disabled list with patella tendinitis in his right knee on July 18. After posting a 2.33 ERA in six rehab games, he was reinstated from his DL stint in September and finished off the season in the bullpen, giving up seven runs in 6 2/3 innings. The Gainesville, Fla., native is 2-0 with a miniscule 0.69 ERA in four career games against the Braves.

ATL: RHP Derek Lowe (1-0, 0.82 ERA)
Lowe opened the season by limiting the Phillies to two baserunners in eight innings. While not as dominant, he still proved to be impressive when he recorded six strikeouts and allowed the Nationals just one run in a three-inning effort that was halted because of a lengthy rain delay on Friday. He is 4-3 with a 4.59 ERA in eight career starts against the Marlins. During his only outing against them last year, he allowed six runs -- three earned -- and eight hits in five innings.

Tidbits
Dan Uggla, with three RBIs on Tuesday, has 38 on his career vs. Atlanta. ... Jorge Cantu, who hasn't started since last Saturday, is hopeful of returning to the lineup. Cantu is resting a bruised left hand. ... The average age of the Marlins rotation is 24.6 years of age. That's the youngest in the National League. The A's rotation is the youngest in the Major Leagues -- 23.6 years. ... Cameron Maybin's family was at the game on Tuesday, making the trip from their home in North Carolina. ... Emilio Bonifacio scored two more runs on Tuesday, giving him 11 on the season. ... Hanley Ramirez swiped his first base of the season on Tuesday.

Considering how awful he has looked out of the bullpen...

So far so good....lots of time left though

Maaaan He gave up a lead off triple tonight and after that he was GOOD... until the 5th They started hitting him, hard, and he reverted back to his old throwing style and fell apart. But wow, if he can keep throwing like he did the 1st 4 innings, things look nice

Welcome back btw

I spoke too soon

And thanks

He won't lose at least AND his team is winning (unless I speak too soon again).

catbox_9 wrote:

I spoke too soon

And thanks

He won't lose at least AND his team is winning (unless I speak too soon again).

It's okay, he looked really good tonight despite the runs. Very promising

They are up by 1...

Up by 2!

SoulRat wrote:

he looked really good tonight

catbox_9 wrote:

SoulRat wrote:

he looked really good tonight

yourself! He DID!

And it's 3 !

er... I mean 5 woo hoo

SoulRat wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

SoulRat wrote:

he looked really good tonight

yourself! He DID!

:puke2:

Fish win!

Of course duh, they are the fish!

make me happy

The boy is going for his 1st win tonight as the go for their 8th straight...