Miller makes his return as Buehler (hip) placed on IL

DENVER -- Before Wednesday’s game against the Rockies, the Dodgers got dealt some more bad injury news. After losing Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a strained rotator cuff and Mookie Betts to a fractured left hand over the weekend, the Dodgers put right-hander Walker Buehler on the 15-day injured list with right hip inflammation.

Buehler’s hip had been bothering him for a few starts, according to manager Dave Roberts, and was aggravated after he took a comebacker during his start on Tuesday against the Rockies.

Though the Dodgers went down another key piece, they did welcome back Bobby Miller, who’d been sidelined for two months with a right shoulder injury.

There were some mixed results for Miller in his return, as he was charged with five runs over 6 1/3 innings in the Dodgers’ 7-6 loss at Coors Field.

“It was just great to see him out there and doing his thing,” Roberts said. “I know he expects a lot of himself, even being his first outing. I thought there were some good throws in there, some things we have to clean up as far as the consistency of the throw. But to have him out there and give us a chance to win was big.”

As the Dodgers continue to navigate through pitching injuries, they have maintained that their focus is ultimately to have most of their key arms ready for a deep postseason run.

On Wednesday, Miller didn’t have his best stuff, though pitching at altitude in the first start back is a tall task. Miller allowed a three-run homer to Michael Toglia in the first inning, but he was able to settle down despite not having much command of his secondary pitches.

“Changeup was really good today. Curveball and slider weren’t great,” Miller said. “But I was efficient. I’m still glad to go into the seventh inning and save our bullpen a little bit.”

Getting Miller back was significant for the Dodgers. He’s one of the most promising young pitchers in the game and will have a major role in October, barring another injury. His return was especially welcomed given the uncertainty surrounding Buehler.

After undergoing a second major right elbow surgery, Buehler and the Dodgers knew this would be a long journey back. Through eight starts, things have been even more difficult than anyone could have imagined, as Buehler has posted a 5.84 ERA, the highest of any Dodgers starting pitcher.

His worst performance came on Tuesday, when he allowed seven runs on seven hits over four innings. That, of course, came at hitter-friendly Coors Field, but it was another reminder that Buehler still has work to do in order to return to the form that made him one of the best pitchers in the National League prior to the injury.

“It sucks to feel kind of invaluable, or like you’re hampering your team,” Buehler said after Tuesday’s start. “At the end of the day, we really like our team and want to be ready for the end of the year. And I’m going to do whatever I need to do to feel like I can help our team at the end of the year, and do everything in my power to be valuable enough to be on those rosters.”

In the past, Buehler has been the Dodgers’ best postseason performer, consistently coming up big in the most important games of the year. Buehler has been vocal about wanting to be at his best for those moments once again.

In his search for that, Buehler has changed up his pitch mix in a pretty drastic way. He hasn’t thrown his four-seam fastball much, instead focusing more on throwing sinkers and cutters. In his between-start bullpen sessions, he’s been consistently trying to figure out ways to improve. Earlier in the season, he changed where he stood on the mound in order to get better movement on his breaking pitches.

By going on the injured list, Buehler can heal the hip, while also working through his difficulties without having the pressure of performing every fifth day against a big league lineup. The Dodgers are hoping that helps Buehler unlock things.

“You only get a finite number of throws to try and fix some things and work on some things without putting yourself in harm’s way for your next start or taking away bullets for the next start and so on,” said Dodgers assistant pitching coach Connor McGuiness. “It’s a tricky process. But if there’s any guy I would bet on to figure this out, he’s the guy I would bet on.”

With Buehler out, the Dodgers will need to figure out a starter for Friday’s game against the Angels. Landon Knack, who has a 2.61 ERA in four Major League starts this season, is the most likely candidate to fill in.