Adams throws first bullpen session

Last offseason, he was arguably the biggest acquisition the Phillies made. The team attempted to fix their lack of dependabilty in the eighth inning by signing Mike Adams, arguably the most accomplished eighth inning reliever in the game, to a 2-year, $12 million deal.

The Phillies have not received their money's worth yet. Adams was limited to 28 games in a 2013 season that ended for him on June 19, nearly a month before the All-Star break.

Adams had shoulder surgery a little more than a month later and is hoping to join the Phillies at some point in April this year. He took a step toward accomplishing that on Thursday when he threw off the mound for the first time this spring.

"It went good - really good," said, who also had sports hernia surgery in October. "It was probably an 85 percent bullpen or so. I wasn't trying to let loose right off the bat. I was trying to get a good feel for throwing off the slope again."

Adams did admit to having some jitters, and not because he hadn't thrown off a mound since last summer.

"My last flat ground (session on Monday) wasn't my best flat ground as far as how my arm felt," Adams said. "It was a little iffy."

Adams chatted with the team's head athletic trainer, Scott Sheridan afterward. Sheridan said the reliever's concern was normal.

Adams felt encouraged when he was able to bounce back earlier this week and then throw off the mound on Thursday.

"Before I came out here, I was nervous," Adams said. "I was worried. Everything's an unknown. I don't know how it's going to go. It seems like every time I'm going out there, I'm hoping for the best. Just trying to stay positive. Every pitch could be the last pitch. Right now, I'm just kind of counting my blessings and going day by day."

Get the full High Cheese experience at PhillyDailyNews.com.