Although Bobby Miller took the loss in Tuesday’s matchup with the Cleveland Guardians, he’s continued to shine in the Los Angeles Dodgers starting rotation.
Miller entered the seventh inning having allowed two runs on five hits, all signs of another superb outing for the promising rookie. However, after recording one out, which marked the longest start of Miller’s career, he began to unravel a bit.
Miller allowed a single and followed that with a walk. At that point manager Dave Roberts opted to bring in Caleb Ferguson, who let the game get away from him after five runs scored. Two were charged to Miller, putting his final line at 6.1 innings pitched with four runs allowed.
Roberts explained his decision to send Miller back out for the seventh inning despite previously outlining a plan, via SportsNet LA:
“This was a day that I just felt with his stuff, a couple extra days (of rest) and he’s going to have an extra day his next turn, I just felt it lined up to see how looked in the seventh inning. Got the ground ball that first hitter, then a base hit and the walk, but I thought the way he was throwing the baseball, it made sense to run him out there in the seventh.”
Miller’s record now sits at 7-3 to go along with a 3.86 ERA, 3.54 FIP and 1.16 WHIP. After a blow-up start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 5, he’s posted a 3.11 ERA, 3.35 FIP and 1.09 WHIP over his last seven starts.
His continued build-up has shown the Dodgers’ confidence in what he can do, and Miller has responded by expanding his pitch mix each time out.
How can Bobby Miller impact Dodgers postseason?
With how Miller has grown throughout his starts, so have his chances of being a significant contributor when the playoffs begin. Julio Urías figures to be the top option, followed by Kershaw, but the third slot could be up for debate.
Miller and Lance Lynn should be in contention for that role, and with the rookie’s high-powered stuff, he could find himself with an edge.
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