Dodgers Will Keep Starting Bobby Miller Despite Struggles

The return of Bobby Miller on Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals came a little too soon.

When the Los Angeles Dodgers optioned him to Triple-A Oklahoma City in July , the purpose was for Miller to get right. Then came the panic button when Tyler Glasnow was placed on the injured list Friday.

Miller’s return featured more of the same of what the Dodgers saw in June and July. Miller lacked command of most of his pitches and saw his velocity dip after the first inning.

He gave up four runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings and the Dodgers lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-2. Two of those hits were home runs.

“It was certainly a matter of circumstance,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said when asked before the game if Miller had earned his callback based on his performance in Triple-A where he gave up nine runs in 13 innings. “But I think that’s the way it happens a lot of times also.”

Miller was a breakout star for the Dodgers as a rookie last season, which not only earned him a spot in the postseason rotation but as a top-five starter out of spring training. He simply hasn’t lived up to the hype in 2024 and it was on display against the Cardinals.

Miller’s fastball touched 99.7 mph in the first inning but eventually dropped to a 97 average. Luckily, he only allowed one free pass but he did throw four wild pitches.

“It’s really just falling behind a few guys. I really think that was the weak spot tonight, just falling behind with early offspeed and fastballs yanking a couple,” Miller said . “Just focus on getting ‘Strike one’ on every single batter and it’s a different ballgame.”

Both home runs were launched on fastballs when Miller was behind in the count. Alec Burleson hit a 2-1 fastball for a two-run homer in the third inning and Masyn Wynn sent a 2-1 fastball to center field for a solo homer in the fifth.

“It’s just hard to pitch from behind and he was behind hitters all night,” Roberts said . “It took him, I think, 3.5 or four innings to find some semblance of a breaking ball. He couldn’t land a curveball (for a strike). … The changeup was a ball out of hand and then he started to get a little feel for it, but at that time I thought he was out of gas.

“I thought he finished much better than he started and look forward to the next one being even better.”

Yes, there will be another start for Miller while Glasnow is on the IL.

“That’s the thought right now, yeah,” Roberts said. “But he has to continue to show some improvement, too.”

Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

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