By the end of his rookie season, Miller was the Dodgers’ most reliable starting pitcher. The former first-round pick and top prospect earned a 3.76 ERA in 23 starts in his debut campaign. He entered this year as a controversial #3 arm behind offseason pickups tyler glasnow And yoshinobu yamamoto, Miller’s year could hardly have gotten off to a better start, as he pitched six scoreless innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts in his debut against the Cardinals.
After that things ended. The Cubs tagged Miller for five runs without allowing him to escape the second inning during his next start. Miller came out of his third appearance with shoulder inflammation. He spent the next two months on the injured list.
The Dodgers activated Miller from the IL on June 19. He has taken the ball four times from that point with disappointing results. Miller allowed five runs over 6 1/3 frames at Coors Field. He gave up three runs in two innings to the White Sox before tossing five frames of two-run ball against the Diamondbacks. Working on a full week’s rest, his performance was below par in last night’s start against the Phillies.
Philadelphia tagged Miller for nine runs on 10 hits in four innings. He has given up two home runs and has surrendered at least one longball in each of his last four games. Miller has issued three walks in each appearance since his return and has not recorded more than four strikeouts in a start. Since his reinstatement, he has struck out 19 in 17 1/3 innings. Miller has scored 12 runs while scoring nine. Opponent is hitting .338/.434/.620 with five homers in 83 plate appearances.
This clearly isn’t close to the level the Dodgers were hoping for. Miller and captain Dave Roberts each told reporters that the pitcher is not dealing with any shoulder issues (link via The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya). However, Miller has seen a slight decrease in velocity with his fastball sitting in the 96-97 MPH range after averaging nearly 99 MPH during his season debut. It’s possible there is something mechanically wrong, although the 96-97 MPH heater should still have plenty of life left.
Pitchers must spend at least 15 days in the minors after being optioned unless they are recalled to replace an injured player. The Dodgers could bring Miller back on July 25. There may be just one turn left in the rotation due to next week’s All-Star festivities, but Roberts said the team does not have any specific goals for Miller’s return. It’s not out of the question that he’ll remain in Triple-A beyond the July 30 trade deadline.
Miller’s demotion is another blow to what has become a cycle in flux. The Dodgers kept Yamamoto, Glasnow and walker buehler On the injured list in the last few weeks. Glasnow is dealing with minor back tightness and should be back soon. The timeline is less clear on Buehler (hip inflammation) and Yamamoto (rotator cuff strain). Los Angeles can welcome clayton kershaw later this month, but he’s coming back from offseason shoulder surgery.
gavin stone, james paxton And landon neck LA now stands as a top three arm in the rotation. Lefty Justin Wrobleski Made his big league debut over the weekend and will likely get another start. They essentially out-compete other healthy starters. Ardaya reported last night that it is correct kyle hurt, who could have been a depth option, is being shut down after experiencing elbow soreness in Triple-A. The Dodgers will likely need to deploy a bullpen game at some point this week to reach the All-Star break.
With a 7.5 game cushion in the NL West, the Dodgers have some leeway to weather a tough few weeks of the season on the rotation front. They still have plenty of prospects for a playoff rotation that could include Glasnow, Yamamoto, Kershaw, Stone and potentially a resurrected Buehler or Miller. However, there is growing uncertainty with the group, which raises questions for the front office before the deadline.
The Dodgers have reportedly already made an offer for the White Sox breakout lefty Garrett Crochet, Chicago declined, but L.A. will certainly remain one of several teams in that mix. crochet teammate Eric Fedde There is a possibility of business like rent jack flaherty And Yusei Kikuchi,
Discover more from news2source
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
