MIAMI — The night had already turned and the descent had already continued by the time Bobby Miller ducked into the tunnel to end his outing. It was a brief yet arduous one requiring 35 pitches in the first inning and 30 in the second inning before none was asked of him after that.
“I just didn’t see it getting better,” Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday. So he pulled the plug.
It hasn’t been getting better.
Facing a Miami Marlins team that leads the National League in losses and averages the second-fewest runs in the majors, Miller got hit hard. Again. Around this time last year, Miller was entrusted with starting a Dodgers postseason game. Tuesday, four runs and seven hits over two innings raised his ERA to 8.52 through 13 starts in this lost season.
His outing thrust the Dodgers into a hole in an 11-9 loss, a back-and-forth affair for a club trying to get back afloat despite starting underwater from the first inning Miller took the mound.
The Dodgers lost, 11-9. They are 89-62. The division lead is 3, pending the result of the SD game.
Again, the lineup had to rally back from an early deficit. Bobby Miller lasted just two innings and gave up four runs.
Time of game: 2:57.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) September 18, 2024
Roberts said “we’ll see” if Miller starts again for the Dodgers this season. Among MLB starters with at least 50 innings pitched this season, Miller has the worst ERA.
“I’ve talked about performance at this point and time of the year is everything,” Roberts said. “We’ve certainly given him opportunities to right the ship so I think we’re going to circle up and we’ll make that decision possibly tomorrow.”
The woes were familiar. Miller’s fastball, despite sitting around 98 mph, got hit. He lacked command of his secondary offerings. A predictable plot unfolded: The Marlins waited out his off-speed to hunt the fastball, with Miller fruitlessly trying to put hitters away even when he reached two strikes. The Marlins didn’t have to wait long to get into optimal counts, either. Miller fell behind in the count to each of the first six batters he faced, and 10 of 14 overall.
“I mean, at the end of the day they were looking for a heater,” Miller said. “It’s pretty easy to hit a heater when you’re looking for it. Any major leaguer can really do that.”
Both the pitcher and Roberts acknowledged issues sequencing, with Miller shaking off catcher Hunter Feduccia into suboptimal pitch selections that backfired.
“(There were a) couple bad pitches that I shook to that I shouldn’t have,” Miller said.
That, Roberts said, digs into the deeper issue.
“I think sometimes he feels like he can do certain things that clearly he can’t right now,” Roberts said.
Miller also got little help behind him. Jesús Sánchez scalded a ground ball that Gavin Lux couldn’t handle to drive home the first run. The danger persisted when Max Muncy threw to second rather than tag the lead runner to start a potential double play on Jake Burger’s soft grounder. Kyle Stowers followed with a run-scoring single.
Nick Fortes doubled to lead off the second inning and came around to score as Miller labored through a second two-run inning.
Maybe the only silver lining for Miller?
“I finally kept the ball inside the ballpark,” he deadpanned after his first start without allowing a home run since his season debut in April.
It has often been ugly for Miller, who has managed to stay on the periphery of the Dodgers’ potential postseason roster because of circumstances and potential. The Dodgers have racked up pitching injuries to the level that Tony Gonsolin, essentially a year removed from Tommy John surgery, may be one more rehab outing away from becoming a real option for the Dodgers.
The organization had already pinned high hopes on Miller, their 25-year-old 2020 first-round pick, who excelled as a rookie last summer and had a 3.76 ERA in 22 regular-season starts. The stuff was premium, and tantalizing, particularly as he whiffed 11 St. Louis Cardinals over six scoreless innings to start 2024 in what those around the club have considered Miller’s best outing in his brief time as a big leaguer.
There has been little to be encouraged by since. Miller missed time with a shoulder issue that nagged him after ramping up for the early start in Seoul, South Korea. He struggled so much upon his return that he was banished to the minors. When a crush of injuries forced him back onto the big-league roster, the performance remained difficult to watch. He continued to pile up chances, the Dodgers have said, because they haven’t had much in the way of alternatives and because of what they still believe is in there.
That still appears quite far away. Throwing Miller out there again could have ramifications beyond piecing together October.
“I think it is mental,” Roberts said. “I think he feels good physically. I think in pens, in side sessions, it’s been a lot better than it has been in the game. With that, there’s a mental component or a lack of confidence. There’s some block there that we unfortunately haven’t been able to break through this year.”
Rather than a step forward, the Dodgers have massive questions about their once-prized pitching prospect. Whether he’ll get opportunities to continue during these final two weeks remains to be seen.
“I know I’m going to come out of this,” Miller said. “I’m going to be working harder than I ever have to come out of this. There is no doubt in my mind, whenever that may be I’m going to be back better than I ever have.”
(Photo of Bobby Miller: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
