The Los Angeles Dodgers got back in the win column after shutting out the Philadelphia Phillies behind another dominant start from Bobby Miller.
The right-hander allowed just three hits over six scoreless innings and tied a career high with seven strikeouts. Miller improved to 3-0 and extended his scoreless streak to 16 consecutive innings in the process.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been impressed with Miller and sees similarities between he and when Walker Buehler began to find his footing in 2018, via SportsNet LA:
“I think the comparable is always something that’s helpful. I kind of get scared with comparing guys to one another, but I think as far as what we’ve seen so far, it’s a lot of what Walker did. Not that first year where Walker was a starter, was in the ‘pen a little bit, and there were some inconsistencies. But once he got his legs under him and was still a young pitcher, that ability to make pitches when he needed to and you layer in the stuff, it’s a lot like Walker.”
The comparisons between Miller and Buehler are natural as both pitchers are right-handed and throw a fastball that can reach triple digits.
After an uneven first season in the Majors, Buehler enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2018 that saw him go 8-5 with a 2.62 ERA, 3.04 FIP, 0.96 WHIP and 9.9 strikeouts per nine over 137.1 innings pitched in 24 games (23 starts). Buehler memorably started a Game 163 that year against the Colorado Rockies to decide the National League West.
Unlike Buehler, Miller has not experienced any growing pains thus far as he is sporting a minuscule 0.78 ERA through four starts. The 24-year-old’s emergence has been a boon to a Dodgers rotation plagued by injuries and inconsistency this season.
Bobby Miller records
Miller became the second Dodgers pitcher since at least 1901 to complete a minimum of five innings and allow one run or fewer in each of his first four starts. Kenta Maeda previously accomplished the feat in 2016.
Miller also is the ninth pitcher since 1901 to allow a combined two runs or fewer through his first four starts, with the only other Dodgers to achieve that being Fernando Valenzuela (1981) and Maeda (2016).
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