The Los Angeles Dodgers optioned starting pitcher Bobby Miller to Triple-A after he gave up nine runs in four innings against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network.
It has been a struggle for Bobby Miller this year, and the outing against the Phillies brought his season ERA up to 8.07 on the season, according to MLB.com. He had started seven games for the Dodgers this season, and it went down hill after his first outing against the St. Louis Cardinals, in which he went six innings and gave up no runs.
The second outing of the season for Miller was against the Chicago Cubs, and he gave up five earned runs in just 1.2 innings pitched. That was the start of the downtrend. He gave up two earned runs in his next start against the Minnesota Twins, but only went four innings. That start was on April 10, and his next game was on June 19, when he gave up five runs in 6.1 innings pitched against the Colorado Rockies. Then he had a two-inning start when he gave up three runs against the Chicago White Sox on June 25.
On July 2, Miller threw five innings and gave up two runs, which was an improvement, but that was his last start before the Phillies game last night, which resulted in him being optioned.
Dodgers looking for stability in the starting rotation
The Dodgers' biggest need ahead of the trade deadline is clear, and it is starting rotation. As currently constructed, Los Angeles has James Paxton, Gavin Stone, Landon Knack and Justin Wrobleski in the rotation, according to FanGraphs. Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw are all on the injured list.
Tyler Glasnow should be back relatively soon, as he has lower back tightness. Yoshinobu Yamamoto's timeline is a bit more murky, as he is dealing with a strained rotator cuff, and the Dodgers need him back given how much they spent on him this offseason.
Walker Buehler was a bit of an unknown, and he is dealing with hip discomfort. Clayton Kershaw is coming off of shoulder surgery, so that is a bit of an unknown as well.
It also does not help that Shohei Ohtani is not pitching this year. It would be a huge help if he was on the mound, but at least he is slugging enough to be in the MVP conversation, which is ridiculous given that he is not on the mound. Mookie Betts' injury does not help either, but he should return at some point in the second half.
It will be interesting to see who the Dodgers get at the deadline. Is one of the top names like Garrett Crochet in play for the Dodgers? Or will they go with a more low-cost move and get someone like Yusei Kikuchi, who could be dependable and help them bridge the gap until their top pitchers return from the injured list.
For now, it is clear that they believe Miller needs to work some issues out in the minor leagues.
