Step forward for Miller not enough in finale loss

MINNEAPOLIS -- Bobby Miller was hoping for a bounceback start on Wednesday against the struggling Minnesota Twins. Instead, he once again was bounced from the game earlier than he’d like.

Miller allowed eight baserunners over four innings and gave up two runs as the Dodgers dropped the series finale 3-2.

In his previous start on April 5 at Chicago, Miller got just five outs and gave up five earned runs in a loss to the Cubs. So his numbers on Wednesday were a step in the right direction. Just not as big of a step as he’d hoped.

“I’m not super happy about the outing, but with only two runs, given the amount of baserunners I had and the amount of times I fell behind in the count, that gives me confidence,” Miller said. “I could have easily gave in and made it a four- or five-run game, but just don’t give in and get out of those with only two runs.”

Miller’s hopes for a bounceback got off to a rocky start, as Twins second baseman Edouard Julien led off the first inning with an opposite-field home run. Carlos Correa followed with a sharp single, but Freddie Freeman started a 3-6-3 double play to help Miller get out of the inning with just one run allowed.

But he wasn’t out of the woods. Miller walked the first two batters he faced in the second inning before retiring the side on a popup, a strikeout and a weak comebacker.

The Twins generated more traffic in the third when Julien and Correa led off the inning with singles. After Miller struck out Alex Kirilloff, Byron Buxton singled home a run, breaking Minnesota’s 0-for-33 skid with runners in scoring position.

But again, Miller wiggled out of it without giving up another run. His best inning was his last, when he issued a one-out walk to Christian Vázquez before Miguel Rojas started another double play on Kyle Farmer’s grounder.

“I just try to be as efficient as possible with runners on base and let my defense do the work, because we’ve got a great defense,” Miller said.

Miller's biggest problem on Wednesday was command, especially of his offspeed pitches. He threw his fastball only 40% of the time (29 of 73 pitches), and when he went to his secondary pitches, only 50% of them (22 out of 44) went for strikes.

“Clearly he didn’t have his best stuff. I think it was a grind from the outset,” manager Dave Roberts said. “The fastball wasn’t commanded, he didn’t have a feel for his changeup again, and the breaking ball, same thing. So he was just working a lot of deep counts, working behind hitters -- like I said, it was just a grind.

“But to his credit, he gave us what he had and kept us in the ballgame.”

The score was tied 2-2 after four innings, but when Alex Vesia replaced Miller, Julien took him deep too. That solo homer was the difference as both bullpens combined to shut down the offenses the rest of the way.

Michael Grove had a big hand in that for the Dodgers. He walked one and struck out four in 2 1/3 hitless innings, which reduced the load for a bullpen that spent three days in Minnesota recovering from a relatively taxing series against the Cubs.

“It was a big outing for Michael,” Roberts said. “He’s certainly talented, and for him to eat up two and a third innings for us was big to keep us on line as far as in the 'pen and managing the workload. Today he just had a good rhythm. His breaking ball was good, fastball good, so very efficient, and we needed every bit of that one.”