Bryce Miller offers encouraging update after first start back from IL, despite bizarre interruption

A ten-minute fire alarm delay stiffened Miller’s elbow but didn’t dampen his spirits

Perhaps lost in the wild win yesterday, Bryce Miller made his first return to the Mariners from the IL, getting through four innings before hitting his pitch limit of 70-75 pitches, as prescribed by manager Dan Wilson pregame. And while it didn’t look exactly like the Miller of old, Bryce himself was decidedly more encouraged about his start in his postgame comments—and definitely excited to be back on the mound.

“It’s not very entertaining, doing nothing for eighteen days,” he said in his signature Texan drawl postgame.

Miller was sharp in his first inning, leading off with a swinging sword strikeout of Byron Buxton on a splitter, followed by another swinging strikeout on the curveball and then a gentle flyout on a four-seamer that registered 95.4.

“That felt like the old me,” said Miller. “When I went out the first inning and was letting it rip, and everything felt really good. That’s super encouraging. It’s felt really good the last week and a half. So that’s encouraging.”

The second inning didn’t go as well; Miller struggled to locate against Carlos Correa, walking him, fell behind the next hitter, Matt Wallner, and then gave him a fastball at 94.3 that Wallner was able to sneak over the wall in right field for a two-run homer.

“If I could do anything over it would be the leadoff walk to Correa and then falling behind [Wallner]. Gave him my heater in a hitter’s count and he got to it. But other than that, the rest of the game, I think everything felt pretty good.”

Both Miller and his manager pointed to the problem of a couple of splitters that stayed in the zone as an area of improvement. Miller leaned heavily on the curveball as well, the secondary pitch that he throws with his fastball grip, as he noted his gyro slider was also inconsistent. Both those pitches are pitches Miller considers more “feel” pitchers that he says will take some time to get back after being off the mound for a while.

“The other stuff, especially the sweeper, it’s a lot of target and the big movement, whereas the curveball I can just throw it down the middle and let it do its thing. That’s what I was telling one of the trainers after I finished, it’s been 18 days since I was in game and that one live BP in Houston. So overall, besides the leadoff walk to Correa, I thought command was pretty solid.”

Most of the rest of the season will be about managing the bone spur that Miller has on his elbow, something that would require season-ending surgery to address now but the organization believes can wait until the off-season to address. Miller now knows the importance of keeping his elbow warm so it can’t stiffen up on him.

“I just have to make sure I keep body, arm, and elbow warm, especially on a cold night.”

“Whoever set the fire alarm off, that wasn’t ideal for me.”

That happened prior to the fourth inning when a mechanical fire in one of the elevators triggered the alarms in the ballpark, causing a ten-minute delay. With an air of general confusion pervading the ballpark, including T-Mobile’s COO Trevor Gooby making frantic phone calls from the field, Miller was able to get some warm-up tosses in, but not consistently.

“When my arm cools off, it feels stiffer than it does when it’s fresh and war so I just have to do what I can to keep body, shoulder, and elbow as warm as I can. It’s tougher on the cool nights and especially standing around on the mound for 15 minutes. It just tightens up whenever it cools off. So I just have to make sure I’m aware and the trainers have heat packs and whatever I need to stay hot.”

Regardless of the results, Miller says he’s feeling encouraged overall after his outing.

“Definitely excited for the next one, and to kind of use this to build on and continue to build confidence in myself and my body to get back to who I know that I am. Not every start, even if I feel 100%, is going to go perfectly, and today it was the leadoff walk, falling behind and throwing a fastball in a 3-1 count. Those are things I can build on and go forward on. Execute finish-count splitters and we’re in good shape.”

Maybe the biggest lightening of Miller’s load, though, is mentally. Not only is he feeling better, but the two other injured starters are on the track to recovery: George Kirby has already returned to the club, and Logan Gilbert recently completed a first rehab outing in Tacoma.

“Like I said a few times before I went on the IL, it felt like an uphill battle, fighting physically and mentally. And trying, with Kirby out and Logan out, trying to step up and do my part, and everything was kind of stacking...so it’s definitely good to be back, it’s good to have Kirby back, and hopefully we don’t keep playing extra innings every day.”