Tigers player Shelby Miller finds fresh momentum with the fastball at the bottom of the strike zone
Detroit — Shelby Miller knew something was wrong. The road trip had been a disaster for him, especially in Anaheim, where he allowed three home runs in less than two innings in two games, suffered a loss in one game and nearly blew a six-run lead in the other.
“I left the series with a pretty bitter taste in my mouth,” said Miller, who has since pitched three scoreless innings and earned his first save of the season on Monday. “I’ve never been hit like that in as long as I can remember.”
“It’s just one of those things that you have to put behind you, correct and get back on the right track.”
There were two factors at play in that Anaheim series. One was the location of his fastball. It had become both too predictable and too inaccurate. The other factor – the Angels had something against him.
“They understood some of my pitches,” he said. “I gave a few tips, but I corrected that.”
Since signing Miller this winter for $3 million with a $4.25 million team option for next season, Tigers president Scott Harris and the pitching department have encouraged Miller to use his 93-mph four-seamer more often at the bottom of the strike zone.
He has a 7-foot frame and plenty of reach on the field. Last season with the Dodgers, he limited hitters to a .110 batting average by throwing pitches mostly in the zone and playing his splitter down in the zone.
And until recently, the four-seamer was still effective in the zone (.172), but teams have obviously made adjustments.
After the debacle in Anaheim, he finally came up with the idea of throwing the heater onto the lower railing.
“Just from my perspective and having talked to some pitching coaches, I think opposing teams started to ramp up on every pitch that was up and slow down on every pitch that was down,” Miller said. “So they just messed up (the secondary pitches).”
“I threw some good sliders in Anaheim and thought, ‘Why the hell isn’t anyone biting?’ But then you watch the video again.”
He didn’t throw a single fastball to the bottom rail. That was easy to fix because with his low release point and excellent drive through the zone, it’s more natural to throw the pitch down in the zone.
“With my launch point, I throw the ball a lot lower than most pitchers and get that carry ride,” he said. “So when I throw something down, hitters think, ‘Oh, that’s down.’ And then the ball has that little extra oomph and carries that bottom area.”
He started attacking the bottom rail in Cincinnati and noticed that hitters were using it. That was the information he needed to see.
Flash forward to Monday. The Tigers led 1-0 in the ninth inning and left-hander Bo Naylor opened the inning for the Guardians. Miller began the at-bat with a fastball for a strike, then hit him a splitter downfield, changing Naylor’s eye level, and two more fastballs upfield and away.
After hitting the ball full-court with two splitters, Miller fired a 94-mph heater downfield and infield. Naylor froze, thinking a pitch downfield had to be the splitter that would go under the zone. It wasn’t.
“Honestly, Scott (Harris) wanted me to focus on that this spring. So did (pitching coach) Chris Fetter,” Miller said. “Try to throw heaters in the bottom of the zone and then be able to throw the split from that lane and get the swing and miss.”
“When you’re throwing heaters up there all day, hitters know you’re not throwing a splitter up there. You sit back and think about it, and yeah, that’s what I did.”
Other Tigers pitchers have used the same strategy. Reese Olson can use the lower rail with his four-seam and two-seam fastballs to set up his changeup and slider. Kenta Maeda, when he’s in a good mood, has made a living throwing throws at or under the lower rail. Will Vest, whose money throw is the elevated heater, can also steal strikes or set up his slider with a solid fastball down low.
Manager AJ Hinch didn’t exactly call it a trend. It’s simply another weapon pitchers can use to beat certain hitters.
“It all depends on the type of hitters you’re facing,” he said. “You’re not going to be able to do that against a hitter who’s hitting with a low fastball. Part of it is planning the game against certain hitters, and part of it is being able to execute what you want when you want to execute.”
Every preview of Miller before the Cleveland series highlighted his fastball use in the zone, and if he continues to be able to execute the pitch in the zone, teams will have to adjust to that.
“He might be able to steal strikes on the lower rail right now,” Hinch said. “The big question will be how people adjust once you start dominating the lower rail. It’s a constant game of adjustment and the fastball on the upper and lower rail is an example of that – how far can you stay in front of the other side before you adjust?”
Fast learner
To be honest, on paper it looked like an unequal duel between Keider Montero and the Guardians.
Montero’s rise to the major leagues was hampered by his trouble controlling left-handed power. At Triple-A Toledo, left-handed hitters posted a .337 batting average with a 1.05 OPS with 16 walks and 14 extra-base hits this season. On June 26, in his second major league appearance, he was mauled by Phillies left-handers in a 4⅓-inning, five-run game.
So when the Guardians loaded their lineup with eight left-handers on Monday, there was reason to be concerned. But it turns out Montero is a quick learner.
During the two weeks Montero spent back in Toledo, pitching coach Doug Bochtler and Tigers pitching director Gabe Ribas gave him a crash course in using his extensive repertoire to neutralize left-handed hitters.
“He can take a plan and a goal, execute it in the bullpen and then take it into a game,” Hinch said.
Montero kept the Guardians at bay on Monday with three hits in 6.13 innings.
“Keider is a really good learner, he’s a really good coach,” Hinch said. “Fetter does a great job of giving him a game plan. He goes out there and executes it. And it’s all because he’s a good learner and because he’s willing to learn and develop, our confidence grows with every performance.
“The best thing for him is to keep that mindset and gain experience up here, and he showed (on Monday) that he can do that.”
Around the Horn
Tarik Skubal and Riley Greene won’t be the only ones representing the Tigers at next week’s All-Star Game in Texas. Equipment manager Dan Ross has been invited to work the National League clubhouse for the event.
Ross is actually a two-time All-Star. He worked in the American League clubhouse in Cleveland in 2019.
… Jack Flaherty, returning from a second injection to loosen his lower back, threw his final bullpen before his scheduled start Thursday and emerged with no discomfort.
“Very encouraging,” Hinch said. “The time off helped. … We were able to put him at the end of the rotation and give him as much time as possible. Every day, things have been a little better.”
… Right-hander Sawyer Gipson-Long underwent surgery Tuesday to repair the labrum in his left hip. He has been recovering from Tommy John surgery for three months.
“The timing was right to treat him while he’s recovering from Tommy John,” Hinch said. “That’s why (the surgery) was done now. The timing was right so it doesn’t delay anything or interrupt his rehab time.”
… Three minor league pitchers were sidelined with injuries: Right-handed reliever Mason Englert was sidelined on July 4 with elbow inflammation. He is still being evaluated. Brendan White, another right-handed reliever, was sidelined with right elbow soreness. Right-hander Dylan Smith is sidelined with a strained right shoulder.
… Shortstop Eddys Leonard was sidelined with a right thigh injury.
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Guard at Tigers
▶ First pitch: 6:40 p.m. Wednesday, Comerica Park, Detroit
▶ Television/Radio: BSD/97.1
SCOUTING REPORT
▶ RHP Tanner Bibee (7-3, 3.67), Guardians: The Tigers brought him in for four runs in four innings on May 8 at Progressive Field. He thrives on top-notch sliders (opponent average .129, 36% whiff) and changeups (.194, 31%) with a 95 mph four-seamer. He struggles against lefties, who hit 200 more against him than righties with a 300-point higher OPS. Lefties have punished his fastball (.354).
▶ RHP Reese Olson (3-8, 3.22), Tigers: He pitched a stunner against the Guardians in Cleveland on May 8, allowing one hit and one earned run in six innings. He hit the edges with a 94-mph four-seamer and missed batters with his changeup (four whiffs, eight swings) and slider (six whiffs, 17 swings). This season, he’s thrown whiffs on 43.7% of his swings with his slider and whiffs on 43% of his swings with his changeup. He also causes a 52% ground ball rate.
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