Diamondbacks’ Shelby Miller undergoes Tommy John surgery

Diamondbacks right-hander Shelby Miller underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday in Los Angeles to correct elbow problems that surfaced earlier this season.

“Everything went fantastic, and he’s doing fine and resting comfortably,” manager Torey Lovullo said. 

Miller opted for surgery at the end of April after tests revealed a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament in addition to a flexor tendon strain. He experienced tightness in his forearm during his April 23 start against the Dodgers.

After undergoing an MRI and visiting with team physician Dr. Gary Waslewski, Miller received a second opinion from orthopedist Dr. Neal ElAttrache and then had Dr. James Andrew review his medical reports.

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Although the 26-year-old could have chose rest and rehab rather than surgery, Miller decided the surgical option made the most sense for him.

During the procedure, the ulnar collateral ligament is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body. ElAttrache performed the surgery, and Lovullo expected Miller to return to the clubhouse in a couple of days.

“It’s a tough day for us,” Lovullo said. “We know one of our family members is in surgery and going to be gone for a little bit – 15 months he’s going to be missing from us. But he’s not forgotten, and I want him to know we’re thinking about him through this process.”

Before getting sidelined, Miller had been in the midst of a bounce-back season after a disastrous 2016 that included a demotion to the minors. He finished 2017 at 2-2 with a 4.09 ERA.

“I think it’ll make me feel better when I see him, I know that for sure,” Lovullo said. “I’m hoping that he’ll feel the same when he sees all of his teammates and he’ll see everybody pulling for him. I know that’ll lift his spirits.”

Roster move

The Diamondbacks placed left-handed reliever T.J. McFarland on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday with a left ankle contusion, a move that opened up a roster spot for right-hander Zack Godley – who was added from Triple-A Reno to start Wednesday.

McFarland was injured in Tuesday’s game, getting struck in the left ankle by a James McCann line drive in the sixth. Although he was able to corral the ball in time to throw to first, McFarland was limping afterward and left the game.

“X-rays were clean,” McFarland said. “A little bit of inflammation, soreness, stiffness, so right now we’re just trying to get that out of there. But good news is, as of right now with the X-rays, there was no fracture or anything.”

Before getting sidelined, McFarland had been an effective option for Arizona. In five games, he’d gone 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA.

“Very frustrating,” McFarland said. “Nobody likes to go on the D.L. Nobody wants to take time off, especially when you feel good – especially when you want to help the team out. And I don’t want to come out of the game there. It puts more pressure on the bullpen. It’s tough.”

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Auditions continue

Wednesday was Godley’s second start with auditions for the vacant No. 5 starting job continuing, but the options for locking down that spot don’t currently include right-hander Archie Bradley, as Lovullo reiterated the plan right now is to keep Bradley in the bullpen.

“I’m not saying that it will never happen and whether it happens next year or sometime during the course of this year, we’re going to make sure that whatever we’re doing, it’s in the best interest of this team each and every day,” Lovullo said. “Archie’s been outstanding in the bullpen, and I think the common denominator here is, why we would we take him out of a role that he’s been fairly dominant in when we need him in that role?”

Lovullo, however, does believe a long-term solution for the spot is inside the organization.

“We want somebody to take that role, take that lead,” Lovullo said, “and say, ‘I got you covered. This is mine.’”

Slump busted

By overwhelming the Tigers 7-1 Wednesday at Chase Field, the Diamondbacks snapped a three-game slide and avoided what would have been a season-long four-game skid.

Seven runs was the most Arizona had scored since a 9-3 win April 25 against the Padres as the team’s offense dried up during the bulk of its last road trip.

Shortstop Nick Ahmed homered in the third, center fielder A.J. Pollock had a two-run single with the bases loaded in the sixth and then left fielder Yasmany Tomas and second baseman Brandon Drury smacked back-to-back homers in the seventh to put the game out of reach.

“It’s good to obviously shut down any losing streak,” Ahmed said. “Hopefully things will get contagious. Starters will continue to pitch well, and our offense will continue to pound out some runs.” 

Before the game, Lovullo said the adversity the Diamondbacks had been facing wasn’t uncommon and is forecasted. The Diamondbacks had only one three-game losing streak in April as they made a strong debut this season, but Luvollo called it impossible for every team to be as dialed in as the team was that month.

“It’d be nice if that was the case, and I feel like we have the ability to do that,” Lovullo said. “But we are prepared to weather the storm. … It’s well documented that every team in baseball has little runs where it’s not so great, and the best teams are able to fight through it, figure it out and come out of it even stronger. And it probably won’t be the last time this happens this year, but I know it’s the first time it’s happening to us this time this year, and we’re walking through it together which is pleasing to me.”

Thursday’s game

Pirates at Diamondbacks

When: 6:40 p.m.

Where: Chase Field (Roof hotline: 602-462-6262).

Pitchers: Diamondbacks RHP Zack Greinke (3-2, 3.09) vs. Pirates RHP Gerrit Cole (1-3, 3.14 ERA).

TV/Radio: FSAZ/KMVP-FM (98.7), KHOV-FM (105.1).

Greinke has turned in four consecutive quality starts and is coming off a win, giving up just two runs in seven innings last Friday against the Rockies. … Over his last three starts, Greinke has struck out 27. … In four home starts, he’s 2-0 with a 2.66 ERA; Greinke is 6-3 with a 5.04 ERA in 10 career starts against the Pirates. … Cole has settled into a rhythm after giving up five runs in his season debut; he boasts a 2.37 ERA through six starts since that game. … His last time out, Cole gave up just one run off two hits through seven innings while striking out eight. … He’s struck out that many in three of his last four appearances.

Coming up

Friday: At Chase Field, 6:40 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Patrick Corbin (2-4, 3.89) vs. Pirates RHP Tyler Glasnow (1-2, 6.33).

Saturday: At Chase Field, 5:10 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Taijuan Walker (3-2, 3.83) vs. Pirates RHP Trevor Williams (1-2, 7.98).

Sunday: At Chase Field, 1:10 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Robbie Ray (2-3, 4.14) vs. Pirates RHP Ivan Nova (3-3, 2.23).

Up next: Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates are in the midst of a seven-game road trip that started in Los Angeles. Entering their finale against the Dodgers Wednesday, they had dropped three straight and five of their past seven. Most of their struggles have come on the road, and the team sits last in the NL Central. This is a young Pittsburgh team that has been regularly been in flux to start the season. Outfielder Starling Marte is serving an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. The Pirates are also without second baseman Adam Frazier (hamstring strain), third baseman David Freese (hamstring strain) and right-hander Jameson Taillon, who recently underwent surgery for suspected testicular cancer. Freese, who hasn’t played since April 24, still leads regulars on the team in a number of offensive categories including average (.321). Outfielder Andrew McCutchen was hitting .222 entering Wednesday’s game with five home runs and 15 RBIs. Pittsburgh’s 121 runs were second-fewest in the National League. The team’s 3.98 ERA ranked fifth.