Andrew Miller’s Newfound… Dominance???

After Clay Buchholz was removed from the game after just 3.2 innings of work yesterday, the man the Sox turned to was newly recalled Andrew Miller. Miller came into the ballgame to face the left-handed Nick Markakis. He disposed of Markakis on a groundout back to the mound and then returned to the game in the fifth– behind a 5-1 deficit. Miller was set to face the heart of the Orioles’ batting order: Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, and Chris Davis, and he struck out the side. However, the thing wasn’t that he struck out the side in order, but how he did it.

He struck out Adam Jones on just three pitches– a 92 mph fastball, 86 mph change, and striking him out on a 96 mph fastball– effectively changing speeds. Wieters would work the count full before striking out looking on a 95 mph fastball on the outside edge. Davis chased a pair of low-80’s sliders before eventually striking out  on a 96 mph fastball in on his hands. Miller showed good command, placing balls on the corner  and fooling hitters into  chasing his slider– which was working yesterday– outside of the strike zone.

This brings me to my final point. If you watched the Red Sox last season, you may know that Miller was a last resort for the Red Sox last season and he did not pitch well for the most part. He was generally starting, a role that he has succeeded in in the minors, but has had trouble in the majors. However, if he was to serve as a reliever– primarily against lefties– then Miller could really make an impact. He has truly dominant stuff, being able to throw in the mid-to-high 90’s, but has showed trouble with his control. With an ailing bullpen so far, and after yesterday’s outing, it would almost be stupid for the Red Sox to not see if he can continue the dominance.