Coming into Tuesday’s game, the Milwaukee Brewers bullpen was spent once again. Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby, Nick Mears: all unavailable according to manager Pat Murphy.
In an up-and-down game that saw the Brewers give away a 6-0 lead, that meant relying on the new guy in a role he hasn’t played often since joining the team. Shelby Miller had no problem, however, getting the last out of the eighth and holding down the ninth in Milwaukee’s walk-off 9-8 win over Arizona.
Postgame, he shared his thoughts on going up against his teammates of less than a month ago, when Miller wore a Diamondbacks jersey.
Miller sets down former teammates in big outing for Milwaukee Brewers
Out injured, Miller technically hadn’t pitched for Arizona since July 5 when the team traded him to Milwaukee at the deadline. Still, not much time has passed since he was rooting for those same guys he faced yesterday, including his former battery mate Gabriel Moreno, the D-Backs catcher.
“It was weird,” Miller told reporters in the clubhouse. “You know, I haven’t really – we didn’t take BP and stuff today so I didn’t really go out and say hi to all of them. I talked to some of the bullpen guys when they were playing catch earlier, but, you know, I’ve never been traded during the season. So, to see familiar faces that were on your side a month ago, it’s a little different.”
Miller has switched ball clubs plenty of times in his 13-year career, including eight times in his last seven seasons. While the midseason element might bring a twist, he definitely has experience adapting to new environments and roles.
Lights out as Arizona’s co-closer this season, posting a 1.98 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 37 appearances, he has yet to assume a similar late-inning function in Milwaukee. Due to lack of available arms, last night was an exception.
At some point, though, Miller seems like a prime candidate to be that seventh-inning arm ahead of Uribe and Megill to close out games. Aside from one bad shelling, he has been excellent with the Brewers, allowing just one run in his eight other outings.
Adding two strikeouts to that sample on Tuesday, Miller has whiffed 14 in eight innings while allowing only two walks and three hits. The three-run beating he took versus Pirates, his third time out post-trade, skews his overall numbers in a Brewers uniform.
Amidst a stretch of 19 games in 18 days, the bullpen in particular has been taxed beyond normal levels. Limiting who can go on what days is a necessary challenge to make sure everyone stays fresh down the stretch. It’s not easy.
“It’s a puzzle,” Miller said. “You know, our job is, when the phone rings, answer and got hot and get ready for the game, whatever he [Murphy] needs out of us. But the 19 games, or the 20 games in a row, whatever it is, it takes a toll on everyone.”
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