Dodgers Highlights: Bobby Miller Battles Himself, Everything Goes Real Bad
For Dodgers fans, it’s been easy to feel like when rookie Bobby Miller is on the mound, the team has a good chance of winning. Heading into Saturday night’s start, he’d been exceptional, posting a 0.78 ERA over his first 4 career starts. But struggled through his worst start as a big leaguer to, unfortunately, pick up his first big league loss.
Now, when I say his worst start, I mean he had been so good that anything less than perfect is kind of bad. But this one was bad.
Let’s get into the highlights of this one and we’ll just say this now… the only highlight of the day was 2 hits by Michael Busch.
The game was scoreless through the first 4 innings, with the Dodger offense looking lost against old friend Alex Wood. It was clear early on that Miller didn’t have his best stuff but he battled to keep runs off the board. Then he looked like his own worst enemy in the top of the 5th inning.
Giants centerfielder Luis Matos reached on a leadoff walk and promptly stole second base. Miller or someone missed a sign as the pitcher turned and tossed a ball off Matos and into center field on a botched pickoff play. Matos advanced to third on the play. One out later, Brandon Crawford singled home the game’s first run. Miller hit a batter and looked more and more frazzled.
He paid for that quickly as LaMonte Wade drilled a 3 run home run deep to right field to put the Giants up 4-0. It was the first home run Miller has allowed as a big leaguer.
The Giants added another run and Miller exited with 2 on and 2 out in the 6th after throwing 92 pitches. Dave Roberts turned to Alex Vesia (as he’s been doing time and time again this season) who walked the first batter he faced and served up a grand slam to pinch hitter J.D. Davis.
JD DAVIS GRAND SLAM! pic.twitter.com/MxOnwpU0LQ
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 18, 2023
The boo birds are out at Dodger stadium.
— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) June 18, 2023
That pitch from Vesia to Davis was right down the pipe. 441 ft.
This is ugly.
After five and a half innings, it was 9-0 Giants. Bobby Miller’s ERA jumped from 0.78 to 2.83 in the nightmare game.
Roberts waved the white flag in the 7th, pulling Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman from the game. The latter really cost them and rookie pitcher Nick Robertson as a variety of plays missed and errors made at first base by replacement Jason Heyward led to 2 more Giants runs. It’s important to note that Jason Heyward is not a first baseman but he was put in to play first base.
Shockingly, both the throws Heyward missed at first were not ruled errors and Robertson’s ERA wore that.
I could keep wasting time typing or I can just tell you that the Dodgers didn’t score any runs and LHP Bryan Hudson made his MLB debut and was the only Dodger pitcher to keep the Giants off the board… albeit just in the 8th inning.
The Giants scored 3 more in the 9th and the Dodgers lost 15-0 at home They were out hit 17-6.
The Dodgers are 5-9 in June.
This is… rough. I remember when the Dodgers were fun to watch.
— Clint Pasillas (@realFRG) June 18, 2023
Up Next
The Dodgers look to avoid the sweep with Tony Gonsolin on the mound.
Sad to see, but Bobby Miller had to come down to earth, a minor leaguer doesn’t come out and instantly dominate. And continue to do so. He might be a future HOF’er eventually, but still. Well, there was Fernando, but that’s winning lottery ticket rare.
Easy to second guess Roberts, but Miller should not have gone out there in the 6th. He clearly wasn’t on his game even though he’d dodged his way thru the first 4 innings. Vesia has obviously struggled of late. Easy to second guess from behind a keyboard, and I know Roberts knows way, way more than I do, but sometimes I wonder. Should Vesia have gone out there, or was he the only real option? Not like everyone in the bullpen has been lights out of late.