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Padres Deny Miller Was Pitch-Tipping, Might Limit His Inning Count
Confirmed
In Short: The Padres are considering limiting Miller to one inning in future games to mitigate potential issues with pitch-tipping or stamina.
San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen dismissed online speculation that closer Mason Miller was pitch-tipping during Game 2 of the NL Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Stammen said, 'We've got a crew of people that are dedicated to that every single day,' referring to the team's efforts to monitor pitch-tipping.
Miller's performance in the ninth inning of Game 2 was particularly concerning, as he allowed three walks and a game-winning single by Jackson Chourio, leading to speculation about pitch-tipping.
Despite the online buzz, Brewers catcher Gary Sanchez said he was unaware if Miller was tipping his pitches, stating, 'I did not know of Miller tipping his pitches.'
Stammen acknowledged that Miller might struggle in longer innings, saying, 'I think we've seen some of that from Mason, and it mostly happens in the appearances where he goes more than one inning.'
Padres slugger Manny Machado noted, 'It’s not an easy job,' highlighting the complexity of the issue.
Stammen emphasized that the team is well aware of the situation and confident in their process, saying, 'The internet can go crazy and take things farther than they need to go. We feel good about our process within that situation.'
The Padres face a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-five series and are set to play Game 3 on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. against the Brewers.
While Miller's regular-season performance was strong, with a 1.67 ERA and 38 saves, his September outings showed a decline, with six runs allowed in 12⅔ innings.
Stammen's comments suggest that the team's primary concern is Miller's ability to maintain his performance in longer innings rather than pitch-tipping.
Padres pitcher Nick Pivetta added, 'We have a bunch of professionals in this room, a lot of really great players who have played in amazing games, who have World Series rings, that you can rely on in these moments.'
What this adds
The team's decision to limit Miller to one inning is a strategic adjustment based on his recent performance and not necessarily due to pitch-tipping concerns.
What's confirmed
- Stammen said Miller is still learning how to "keep the same adrenaline in one inning and bringing it to the second inning," a potentially crucial development for a Padres team expected to rely heavily on Miller and Adrian Morejon in the postseason.
- "We've got a crew of people that are dedicated to that every single day," Stammen said.
- "I think that's definitely something strategy-wise that we were very comfortable with going into the game, but something going forward that we may have to adjust as the playoffs go."
- "I think even if he was and we were aware of it, hitting 104 is not easy by any means."
What's still developing
- Miller's disastrous ninth inning, during which Christian Yelich, Sal Frelick and Gary Sanchez drew walks while seeing a combined 17 pitches and not swinging at one, prompted online speculation that he was unknowingly letting opposing hitters know when a fastball or slider was coming through subtle patterns.
- Side-by-side still shots posted on social media appeared to show Miller's hand placement in his glove from the set position being slightly different based on whether he was throwing a fastball or a slider, something a runner on second base might notice and relay to the hitter.
- And though three of those runs came while essentially pitching in mop-up duty during the regular-season finale, two others occurred when Miller came back out for a second inning earlier in the month.
- For the Padres, who find themselves in a 2-0 hole against the Milwaukee Brewers, manager Craig Stammen begs to differ over his two-time All-Star closing pitcher being predictable.
- In nine of them, he pitched above a single inning.
- But Sunday night was the worst time for him to not be able to close out the game, as the Padres are on the verge of elimination.
- While Miller was six of seven in save opportunities in September, his production trended downward, as he’s given up six runs, five earned, and has been hit nine times while giving up six walks.
- “I don't know if he was tipping or not,” Sánchez said through an interpreter.
- “I’d be not telling the truth if I didn’t tell you that it’s part of our game today in a big way,” Murphy said.
- While Stammen didn’t flat-out confirm the Padres are sure their All-Star reliever wasn’t tipping pitches, the manager downplayed the importance of the whole discussion.