Update on Adam Miller

[Beanpot]

Cleveland Indians' Adam Miller adjusts way he pitches to keep his career

Saturday, March 28, 2009

 

Scottsdale, Ariz.- Right-hander Adam Miller is doing his best to avoid a career threatening operation on his right middle finger.

 

Lonnie Soloff, Indians head athletic trainer, said Miller has had nine throwing sessions, including three off the mound, since March 18 to determine if he could change his release point enough to compensate for a lack of mobility in his finger.

 

"Each time he's made improvement," said Soloff, "We've seen incremental gains in control, command and velocity."

 

Miller, according to Soloff, has changed his release point. Before his surgically repaired finger stiffened early in spring training, the ball came out of his right hand exclusively on his right middle finger. Now he's using his index finger as well.

 

"We can tell because there is a callous on the index finger," said Soloff.

 

Miller has been throwing fastballs and change-ups. He'll start throwing sliders today and Sunday in flat-ground sessions. On Monday he'll throw fastballs, change-ups and sliders in a bullpen session.

 

"The next step will be batting practice or a simulated game," said Soloff.

 

Soloff said the Indians never thought Miller would get to this point. They felt surgery would be needed.

 

"To be honest with you," said Soloff, "we anticipated a failure in one of three parameters - Adam having symptoms of pain or swelling, a change in the physical presentation of the finger regarding range of motion or inflammation or that he just wouldn't be able to do it.

 

"He's proven us wrong on all three fronts."

 

Miller originally was shut down on Feb. 27 after throwing one inning in an intrasquad game. He started playing catch again March 13 but had to stop throwing March 15 because he couldn't move the tip of his middle finger. He was examined by two hand specialists and threw a bullpen session March 18 in which he couldn't control the flight of his pitches.

 

"He couldn't compete," Soloff said at the time.

 

It was then decided that Miller would have to alter his delivery or face surgery.

 

Manager Eric Wedge, pitching coach Carl Willis, and minor league pitching coordinators Dave Miller and Steve Lyons have watched every session by Miller. After each session, a doctor examines Miller's finger to see if there've been any changes.

 

"Every successful throwing session that Adam has, surgery becomes less of an option," said Soloff. "It's certainly on equal standing right now with the other options. But we've been encouraged every step of the way."

 

The surgery would involve transplanting a ligament into the finger to help secure a loose tendon to the bone. It's career-threatening because the scar tissue from the surgery might restrict the movement in Miller's finger even more than it's restricted now.

 

Tighten up:

Wedge is glad Cliff Lee will make one more Cactus League start before opening the season April 6 against Texas. He thinks he needs it after giving up eight runs, seven earned, on 12 hits in a 10-3 loss to the Giants on Friday.

 

What Wedge wasn't happy about was the Indians' overall performance at Scottsdale Stadium.

 

Wedge on Lee: "He has one more start before he opens the season for us. It's important that he tightens things up a little bit."

 

Lee gave up seven runs in the first two innings, but just one over the last three. He struck out six.

 

Wedge on his team's play: "We were sloppy defensively. We were just a little bit slow to get to the ball at times. We had some poor outs offensively. . . . That's not the game we play."

 

Wedge plans on talking to his team after the roster is cut to the 25 players who will open the regular season.

 

"I think we're getting into uncharted waters in terms of the length of camp," he said. "Usually about this time, you're ready to break. We're going to have to shake ourselves to pick it up for this final week as we head into the season."

 

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/plaindealer....xml&coll=2

 

Beanpot

[Beanpot]

So much for that:

 

Miller to have season-ending surgery

Right-hander's finger injury could be career-threatening

By Stephen Ellsesser / Special to MLB.com

 

CLEVELAND -- Indians right-hander Adam Miller is headed for season-ending surgery on the middle finger of his pitching hand, Tribe head athletic trainer Lonnie Soloff said Friday.

 

Soloff said the career-threatening surgery to rebuild the pulley system in his finger has a recovery time of six to nine months. Miller tried to work through the injury and avoid surgery even though he couldn't bend the tip of his finger.

 

"Adam played catch again on Monday of this week, and he experienced pain," Soloff said. "At this point, it seems like surgery is indicated."

 

Miller, who has had surgery on the finger once before, will meet with team physician Tom Graham on Monday in Baltimore, and barring anything unforeseen, Miller will have surgery Tuesday to repair tendons in the finger.

 

Still worse, there is a chance Miller could develop scar tissue and need additional surgery to remove it.

 

"Because the space is so limited, with a procedure of this caliber, there is a high incidence of secondary surgery to limit or remove scar tissue which would impede recovery of both range of motion and strength," said Soloff, who added that sometimes scar tissue doesn't develop for months after the original surgery. "There's no way of knowing when that would take place. It's just a complicating factor of the injury, of the surgery and of the subsequent rehab."

 

Even that, Soloff said, would not guarantee full recovery.

 

"The challenging thing of that is when you go in there a third time, you run the risk of further scar tissue development," Soloff said. "That's one of the reasons why it is such a challenging case."

 

Miller made the final decision after hitting a wall in his rehab.

 

"He gave it a valiant effort from a conservative standpoint," Soloff said. "As he increased intensity to face hitters in a game-like situation, he had increased symptoms. It is a surgery that he's given a great deal of thought to.

 

"It's something he feels as if he has to do to return to the high level that he is accustomed to."

 

Previously, Miller had surgery to close the gap on his middle finger, created by a lingering blister. He made six starts last season for Triple-A Buffalo before the surgery. A month ago, he again experienced soreness, and he could no longer bend the tip of his finger.

 

Tuesday's surgery will reconstruct the pulley system using a tendon from his wrist.

 

"It's a career-threatening injury," Soloff said. "We're hoping for the best."

 

Miller, who is 32-25 with a 3.51 ERA in 104 appearances in the Minors, was the 2006 EAS Pitcher of the Year for Double-A Akron.

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20...sp&c_id=mlb

 

Beanpot

[Oldcrow1945]

Here's hoping the best for Adam! I hope it all goes well for him.

[Kosar_For_President]

I bet this is so frusturating for him. A middle finger could end his career.