'You've got to perform': Miller still trying to prove self ahead of postseason
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ANAHEIM -- Given what he showed as a rookie last year, Bobby Miller came into 2024 as a key part of the Dodgers’ starting rotation. The former top prospect was expected to take yet another leap forward in his development.
Instead, it’s been a disappointing sophomore season for Miller, one that has included injuries, a whole lot of inconsistencies and a stint in the Minor Leagues as he worked through his mechanics.
The season didn’t get any better for Miller on Wednesday as the right-hander allowed seven runs on five hits over five innings in the Dodgers’ 10-1 loss to the Angels to wrap up the two-game Freeway Series at Angel Stadium.
“I think where we’re at right now with certain players -- Bobby, in this particular case -- performance matters,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “It’s got to be better. And he knows that. You just can’t go out there and give up five runs and put us behind the eight-ball.”
It didn’t take long for it to become clear Miller didn’t have his best stuff. He walked Taylor Ward to start his outing and followed it up by hitting Zach Neto. Anthony Rendon hit a two-run single to start the scoring.
Two batters later, Mickey Moniak delivered the big hit, smashing a three-run homer to give the Angels a 5-0 lead. At that point, Miller still hadn’t recorded an out. The long ball continued to be a problem for Miller, who allowed two more solo homers later in the game.
“It’s not about the stuff, because as we’ve seen, the stuff is there,” Roberts said. “I say it time and time again, it’s about performance. You’ve got to perform and give us a chance.”
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It’s the fourth time in 11 starts this season that Miller has given up five or more runs in a game. The big inning has been an issue, something he was able to manage during his strong rookie season.
“It’s kind of hard to put into words, but recently, I’ve been feeling really good and still felt really good today,” Miller said. “Besides the first inning, there was a lot of good in there. Just a couple good fastball hitters, couple bad pitch selections. I could go back and look and be like, ‘Yeah, I threw those balls on the corner.’ But you know, there’s some good fastball hitters, and I just threw the wrong pitch at the wrong time, and they put some good swings on some not-really-bad pitches.”
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While Miller maintains that he’s been feeling better as of late, the schedule is starting to run out on him. With the Dodgers desperately looking for a pair of starters to step up before the start of the postseason, Miller has been trying to show Los Angeles that he can get back to the form that helped him take the ball in Game 2 of the National League Division Series last October.
Miller will remain in the rotation through at least one more turn, giving him another opportunity next week against the Cubs. But if he wants to make an impact in October, it has to look a lot better than it did against the Angels.
“You have to, as a starting pitcher, be able to get ahead with different secondary pitches,” Roberts said. “Unless you have 80 command, and right now, he doesn’t. It’s a fastball that hitters see, so it either has to be commanded really well and moved to different locations, or you have to be able to get ahead with different breaking balls. That’s just the way it goes. And if you can’t do that, then the catcher is in a tough spot. We have to get better.”