Bobby Miller will give Dodgers a 6-man rotation ‘for this moment in time’
Miller is scheduled to make his return from a shoulder injury on Wednesday in Colorado, but he won’t replace anyone in the rotation, giving the Dodgers six starters temporarily.
LOS ANGELES — Bobby Miller will make his return to the Dodgers’ starting rotation on Wednesday in Colorado – and make it a six-man rotation.
Even as they’ve remained committed to giving their starters (particularly Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and James Paxton) extra time off between starts, the Dodgers have resisted going with a six-man rotation, preferring to use spot starts, the occasional “bullpen games” and off days on the schedule to augment their starters’ down time.
But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged that it will be a six-man rotation “for this moment in time” this week. No one will be removed from the rotation to make room for Miller this week.
“No, I don’t think that we have to make that decision quite yet,” Roberts said. “Once Bobby goes, it just gives everybody an extra day (rest) and then we’ll make that decision after that.”
Coors Field does not seem like the ideal spot for Miller to rejoin the rotation. But he pitched well in one start there as a rookie last year. He allowed two runs on seven hits in seven innings, walking no one and striking out nine.
“I think that what he did last year, I think that we feel good about taking the training wheels off,” Roberts said. “I just don’t believe that there’s a whole lot of correlation as far as if his pitch count is up, he’s feeling strong, that he can get major-league hitters out.”
Miller didn’t exactly dominate minor-league hitters during his rehab assignment. He allowed 14 runs on 19 hits, eight walks and two hit batsmen in 15 innings over four starts (two with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, two with Triple-A Oklahoma City).
“They weren’t (pretty),” Roberts said of Miller’s results. “I didn’t like the walks. But I just think that there’s also a point in the heightened focus of getting into a major-league game.”
Miller has been out since April 10 with a sore shoulder.
BAD CALLS
It’s not a category in which you want to lead the majors.
According to analysis by Inside Edge, Dodgers leadoff man Mookie Betts leads the majors in balls outside the strike zone that were called strikes (43). Betts said he hadn’t noticed.
“No. No more so than any other year,” he said. “They’re humans. I don’t think they’re actively trying to call balls strikes. But sometimes it is what it is. Nothing you can do about it.”
Certainly a factor in Betts’ lead is the fact that he ranks second in the majors in plate appearances (319 to Anthony Volpe’s 320) and pitches seen (1,298 to Aaron Judge’s 1,309).
“Nothing I can do about it,” he said. “Hitting is already hard enough. … If I start worrying about that and complaining, that’s just not how I’m built. And they’re not going to change it.”
GOLF EVENT
Dodger Stadium will host a Stadiumlinks event July 12-14.
Stadiumlinks allows fans to play a round of golf throughout the stadium, swinging from different levels of the stadium toward custom greens on the field below. It also includes access to a clubhouse lounge where participants can enjoy food and beverages and join in multiple golfing challenges.
Tee times in two-player increments will run from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. For more information and to join the early access list go to www.dodgers.com/stadiumlinks.
ALSO
Left-hander Clayton Kershaw is expected to start his rehab assignment next week with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. …
Right-hander Joe Kelly has started throwing off a mound. Kelly has been out since May 5 with a shoulder injury.
UP NEXT
Royals (RHP Seth Lugo, 9-2, 2.36 ERA) at Dodgers (RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 6-2, 3.00 ERA), Saturday, 6:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM