Mike Adams makes Phillies debut, looks forward to stabilizing eighth innning
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Mike Adams makes Phillies debut, looks forward to stabilizing eighth innning
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
It was business as usual, save for the inning. Mike Adams made his first competitive performance in a Phillies uniform, pitching a scoreless fourth inning against the Braves on Thursday afternoon. The veteran set-up man retired three of the four batters he faced, striking out Todd Cunningham and allowing a hit to Evan Gattis.
Adams is familiar with the Phillies late-game struggles last season, when they lost 12 games in which they had a lead in the eighth.
"Ya'll have told me plenty about them," Adams said to reporters. "It's well documented. I know what happened last year with the eighth inning. I'm looking forward to it. This is something that I love to do. I love coming in there in my role, the eighth inning, being considered one of the better set-up guys in the game. I like that. I'd rather be one of the best set-up men in the game than the No. 15 closer in the game."
Adams had been held back from Grapefruit League action after undergoing offseason surgery to correct a condition called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, which affected the circulation in his pitching arm. The surgery is not something that usually diminishes a pitcher's ability post-op.
"I spoke with a couple of guys who had the surgery before I had my surgery, and they told me once I had mine done I would feel 10 times better," Adams said. "I was just more excited, more ready to have the surgery and start the rehab process and get back to throwing again so I could feel that difference."
Pitching coach Rich Dubee had planned on waiting until the first week of March to turn Adams loose, so you can consider the set-up man ahead of schedule.
"After my last bullpen session he said something about maybe throwing one of those first few days of March and I told him, hey, if you want to go the 28th, then we can get it started, get it going already…he's known that I felt fine, it was just more of taking it easy, really," Adams said. "There was nothing medically or any reason like that why we were holding out."
Welcome to the 8th inning Mike.— drhoffman- He wasn't holding anything back, this signing could be huge for all the pitching.— escapedcamden4monterey
- "The surgery is not something that usually diminishes a pitcher's ability post-op."
Maybe not the surgery but apparently the Cards Chris Carpenter pushed his return from this type of surgery too much and he's facing the end of his career. It would have been nice to see a cautionary reference to Carpenter in the article as I'm surethat Dubee is aware of that situation.— Claudio Vernight - wont you be a welcomed site— stayoutofphilly
- Absolutely fantastic news. This type of surgery is not easy to come back from that quickly. I hope they (the team's physicians) are watching him closely and rehabilitating him properly. Man, this is a shot in the arm for the team if Adams can set up Pap.— ghost of callison
