'Liked what we saw:' Now a reliever, Miller trying to click in majors again

CHICAGO -- By the time Shelby Miller entered the game Wednesday, it looked like the White Sox were pretty much in control of the game. The Pirates trailed by three runs in the bottom of the seventh, and the Sox have a late-inning bullpen as good as anyone in baseball.

The backend of the Pirates’ bullpen, on the other hand, is very much in flux, especially after a series of trade deadline deals. Different players are going to get different looks.

Enter Shelby Miller.

The right-hander tossed a clean seventh, allowing a leadoff hit but erasing it with a double play, albeit in a losing effort, as the White Sox would end up winning and sweeping the quick two-game set at Guaranteed Rate Field, 6-3.

Not a bad outing for the 30-year-old September call-up.

“I think any time when you come back to the big leagues, especially with a new team, it’s nice to get that first outing under his belt,” Derek Shelton said. “... I liked what we saw.”

It was Miller’s second stint in the majors, the other was a brief three-game cameo with the Cubs that didn’t go well. After being let go, Miller signed a minor-league deal with the Pirates, and in August, did not allow over 8 ⅔ innings.

It was a stop that many pitchers wouldn’t have taken at this stage of their careers. Miller was once an All-Star starter in 2015 for the Braves. A few days ago, he was in Class AAA Indianapolis, trying to transition into being a reliever.

“It’s been kind of a tough road, back and forth from injuries,” Miller said on the field before Wednesday’s game. “It took me a little while to get back to where I needed to be… But I haven’t pitched that much since the surgery, so I think right now is the most I’ve felt on track.”

A tough road might be underselling it. After that All-Star campaign in 2015, Miller was traded to the Diamondbacks, where he struggled in 2016. In 2017, he went under the knife for Tommy John Surgery. Things didn’t get better in 2018 or 2019, and then he opted out of the 2020 season.

In 2021, the career path changed to just being a reliever. After a brief stop in Chicago, it was with the Pirates that he was able to truly dive into his new role.

“Just having an idea, having a feel for when you might go into the game, getting loose and making sure you’re ready to go in is really the most important thing,” Miller answered when asked about the challenges of making that transition. “My body feels great. It’s just you’ve got to get a little hotter quicker in the bullpen, so you’ve just got to be prepared for when the phone rings.”

On Wednesday, Miller showed there is still gas in the tank, ramping up his fastball to 94 mph and a cutter that he can still get to the backdoor:

While he only threw one slider Wednesday, that’s something else he can pair off the cutter, and his curve now has more spike. 

“It’s just about going out and executing it and getting guys out,” Miller said. “At the end of the day, this stuff is better than it’s ever been.”

If that stuff continues to play, Miller could find himself in higher leverage situations before the month is through, or in 2022.

A veteran, Miller is a free agent at the end of the season, but if things go well, the Pirates would be frontrunners for retaining his services. He has earned another look in the majors with the expanded rosters. Now he is looking to take advantage of it.

“I think it’s a testament to getting a job next year,” Miller said. “Hopefully, if I throw well here, I could re-sign here and get a good opportunity to come out of the bullpen next year or whatever. It’s an important month.”

GETTY

Jacob Stallings watches as Gavin Sheets crosses home on his fourth inning home run.

MORE FROM THE GAME

• Jacob Stallings' face says it all about this game. If not that face, this one:

• Max Kranick got the nod Wednesday, being the other player the Pirates called up as part of the September roster expansions. While his final line is hardly impressive -- five earned runs over 4 2/3 innings on eight hits and two walks -- his night can be summarized by two pitches.

One was his fault, a fourth inning fastball where he missed Stallings' low and away target and wound up right down the middle, which Gavin Sheets took deep to right:

The other came in the fifth, where it appeared he got an inning-ending double play, but Kevin Newman threw away the potential third out. Two more runs would score as a result, souring his night.

It wasn't all bad, though. Shelton was quick to point out that the last time Kranick was optioned to the minors, he was given a couple points to work on. Those included being quick to the plate and mixing his looks. In those areas, he looked better, which is why the results were there through three innings.

"There were definitely some positives, and I'm gonna roll with it," Kranick said.

Shelton said postgame that he expected this to be a spot start for Kranick, but that "we’ll talk about it as we move forward."

• Speaking of guys like Miller who need to have a good September, Cole Tucker had a couple hits, including a double off the wall in left-center, and Anthony Alford hit a 430-foot home run, the longest of his career.

Those hits snapped an 0-for-13 streak for Tucker.

"It's been a long year for me, if you look back to the end of spring training, getting optioned and staying down in Florida and working on stuff with Nuns [Indianapolis hitting coach Jon Nunnally] and those guys, it's been a long work in progress," Tucker said. "But to have moments like that and to have the gratification pop up is really cool, and that's what keeps you going and keeps you hungry and what we're chasing every day."

Hoy Park, starting for Ke'Bryan Hayes at third, also snapped a long hitless streak with a fifth inning infield single. He was 0-for his last 24 before that.

• Some injury news from director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk:

After avoiding saying it last week, Tomczyk says Henry Davis' oblique injury will likely keep him out 4-6 weeks, which will almost certainly bring his season to an end.

Michael Chavis (right elbow) will be shut down for the next five to seven days, but the team doctors are optimistic he will play again this season.

Hayes (right hand, blood blister) took ground balls and played light catch.

JT Brubaker (right thumb) and Dillon Peters (back) are throwing. Brubaker threw his second side session Wednesday, and Peters is expected to throw off a mound this weekend.

Travis Swaggerty (right shoulder) has moved his rehab home to be with his wife while she is expecting their first child. He is still on the same recovery plan that should make him ready for spring training.

Michael Burrows (oblique) is throwing sides and off a slope. The team is optimistic he will pitch before Greensboro's Class High-A season is complete.

Roansy Contreras (forearm) made his return with the Altoona Curve Wednesday. He pitched two innings and allowed a solo home run while striking out three.

• I feel like I was hard on Guaranteed Rate Field in the live files this week. It's not a great ballpark, but here are two selling points for the stadium. Here's how they start games:

And here's how they introduce their closer, Liam Hendricks:

A+ job on both fronts.

THE ESSENTIALS

• Boxscore
• Live file
• Scoreboard
• Standings
• Statistics

THE HIGHLIGHTS

THE LINEUPS

Shelton's card, with Kranick starting:

1. Cole Tucker, RF
2. Kevin Newman, SS
3. Bryan Reynolds, CF
4. Colin Moran, 1B
5. Jacob Stallings, C
6. Yoshi Tsutsugo, DH
7. Wilmer Difo, 2B
8. Anthony Alford, LF
9. Hoy Park, 3B

And for Tony La Russa's White Sox, with the left-hander Carlos Rodón on the mound:

1. Luis Robert, CF
2. Yoán Moncada, 3B
3. Jose Abreu, 1B
4. Eloy Jiménez, LF
5. Yasmani Grandal, C
6. Brian Goodwin, RF
7. Leury García, SS
8. Gavin Sheets, DH
9. César Henández, 2B

THE SYSTEM

• Indianapolis
• Altoona
• Greensboro
• Bradenton

THE SCHEDULE

The Pirates will head north to Wrigley Field Thursday to start a four-game series against the Cubs. Mitch Keller (4-10, 6.75), who was originally supposed to start Wednesday but was pushed back a day for scheduling purposes, will take on Keegan Thompson (3-3, 3.09). Thursday is the only night game of the series, and first pitch will be at 8:05 p.m. Eastern.

THE CONTENT

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