Bobby Miller struggled in his first career postseason start, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are now on the brink of elimination after losing 4-2 to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.
The right-hander immediately ran into trouble in the first as the first three batters reached base. The Diamondbacks took a 1-0 lead on Christian Walker’s sacrifice fly that was caught at the wall in center field by James Outman.
Arizona tacked on another run with Gabriel Moreno’s RBI groundout and then extended their lead to three when Lourdes Gurriel Jr. singled home Tommy Pham.
Miller ran into more traffic in the second inning before he was removed with two outs. “Obviously didn’t do a good job of working through it,” Miller said after the game.
“Mentally, I felt fine, and physically, it was probably the best I’ve ever felt. It’s a good thing and bad thing when you feel that good. I kind of just get a little too jumpy out there, and it caused the command to be a little worse.”
Whereas the Diamondbacks took an aggressive approach against Clayton Kershaw in Game 1, they were much more patient with Miller by working the count. “I couldn’t really see much because my offspeed wasn’t really competitive,” he said when asked what stood out to him about Arizona’s game plan.
“I threw a couple good changeups in there, but slider wasn’t really there. I just didn’t do a good job of setting the tone.”
Miller admitted he is equally frustrated and angry with his performance, and lamented not being able to help the Dodgers even the NLDS. “Both. All of the above,” he explained.
“As a starter, especially after losing Game 1, you want to go out there and set a tone for your offense, get them in a good mood. And I didn’t help the bullpen out either. They did a great job of getting my back.”
Bobby Miller ‘got a little too jumpy’ against Diamondbacks
Miller is one of five rookies on the Dodgers NLDS roster and admitted the extra adrenaline impacted his secondary pitches. “I didn’t really feel over-amped,” he began.
“Just physically, it was the best I’ve ever felt. Just got a little too jumpy and let it eat a little bit too much instead of slowing things down.”
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