The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Miller, Salazar land on DL
The Indians are turning to an unlikely source — the Cavaliers — to help injured relief pitcher Andrew Miller get back on the fast track to good health so he can be at his best when they need him next month and in the playoffs.
The Tribe on Aug. 22 placed Miller on the 10-day disabled list with right knee patellar tendinitis for the second time this month.
Starting pitcher Danny Salazar was also placed on the 10-day D.L. with right elbow inflammation.
The roster spots were filled by recalling relief pitcher Shawn Armstrong and utility player Yandy Diaz from Columbus.
The same injury forced the Indians to put Miller on the disabled list Aug. 2. He was activated Aug. 18. He pitched two-thirds of an inning against the Royals that night. He did not pitch in the next two games. He threw just seven pitches in the Aug. 21 game against the Red Sox before feeling pain and walking off the field.
“Our medical people are starting to put their heads together,” Manager Terry Francona said before the Indians played the Red Sox in the second of a four-game series. “It seems like what Miller has is felt most often by NBA players because of the pounding they put on their knees and things like that. So we’ve reached out to the Cavs just to see if they’ve had something similar, who they’ve reached out to and things like that.
“The best diagnosis is rest. I don’t think Andrew or us wants to just — he wants to see if he can be proactive, as he’s been. We’ll see where that leads.”
Miller is 4-3 with a 1.65 ERA in 48 appearances.
Miller, standing at his locker in the Indians clubhouse, revealed he had the same injury while pitching in the Tigers’ farm system in Lakeland, Fla., in 2007.
“It just stinks,” he said. “I felt like we had it going in the right direction. For whatever reason, I wasn’t able to keep it going that way and it set me back yesterday. When you throw a baseball, your leg lands before your arm comes through it. It’s hard to pitch when something is going on there.
“I dealt with this in Florida a long time ago. It was pretty much the exact situation. I’m getting good treatment. I’ve been able to work through it before and get to where it’s essentially a non-issue. It’s a matter of how quickly we can get there. When it’s acting up the way it has been, I just don’t think I can compete the way I need to.”
Salazar is 5-6 in 16 starts. He last pitched on Aug. 20 against the Royals and gave up six runs and 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Salazar told the Indians trainers he felt some stiffness in his right elbow.
He tried throwing a normal bullpen session Aug. 22 as part of his routine preparation for his scheduled start Aug. 25, but still felt the stiffness, Francona said.
Lefty Ryan Merritt will take Salazar’s spot in the rotation Aug. 25 against the Royals at Progressive Field, Francona said.