LOS ANGELES — The road has been bumpy, including twists and then turns, with Bobby Miller hoping it is the one that leads him back to a trusted spot in the Dodgers’ rotation.
Nobody knows the route of uncertainty better than the right-hander, who has been projected for big things with his rocket arm but has been slowed by struggles, shoulder inflammation and a demotion this season.
Throughout most of his outing against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night, Miller showed the stuff that might afford him a role on the playoff pitching staff this October. A late blip in the Dodgers’ 6-3 victory showed there is still more room for progress.
Miller gave up just two hits in five innings, one of those a three-run home run to Colton Cowser with two outs in the fifth. The offense did its part as the Dodgers (80-54) took advantage of losses by both the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres.
“It was four and two-thirds innings of really good pitching and then just one bad pitch,” Miller said. “Seems to be the story of my last few outings. It’s just one bad pitch that I look back on, and unfortunately, it’s over the fence. But you know, one day, one day soon, it’ll fall.”
When a key four-game series on the road against the Diamondbacks (76-58) begins Friday, the Dodgers will have a four-game lead on their National League West rival in the desert. The Padres (76-60) fell five games back.
As much as the Dodgers wanted Thursday’s victory to put another game between them and their division foes, they still gave Max Muncy the night off and let Chris Taylor play third base, while catcher Austin Barnes made the start in his return from the injured list as Will Smith was given a day of rest.
“(It’s) trying to figure out how to win games in the here and now, with the players you have available, but not redline guys, so then they’re still healthy and strong and perform optimally as we get through September and October,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So again, that’s a case by case, talking to coaches, the players themselves and then the performance and training staff.”
As it turned out, every Dodger except Shohei Ohtani (0 for 5) had a hit as the team banged out 14 hits. Ohtani flied out four times and was retired on a called third strike one night after he hit his 42nd home run and stole his 41st and 42nd bases.
In taking two of three games from the Orioles (77-58) this week, the Dodgers not only got the best of the American League’s second-best club, they won for the eighth time in their past 10 games.
Miller led the way, holding the Orioles to one hit over the first four scoreless innings. The Dodgers staked him to a 5-0 lead, with Barnes delivering a two-run double in a four-run fourth inning after missing time because of a fractured left toe.
As his command began to fail him in the fifth inning, Miller hit Eloy Jimenez with a 95-mph pitch on the left hip. He had a 1-and-2 count on the hot-hitting Ramon Urias before he issued a one-out walk. On a 3-and-2 fastball at 98 mph to Colton Cowser, the Baltimore leadoff hitter lifted a three-run home run to left-center field.
“I wouldn’t have faced him if I didn’t walk the guy before,” said Miller, who tweaked his left knee in the second inning and pitched with slight discomfort the remainder of the outing. “You lose a couple guys before that guy and unfortunately, it was an HBP and then a walk, which, yeah, just not getting 0-1 early enough towards the end of the game.”
The bullpen carried the victory the rest of the way, though not without a close call. Right-hander Daniel Hudson, in his first outing in nine days, got two quick outs in the seventh inning before the Orioles loaded the bases on a single and two walks.
Blake Treinen entered and fell behind 2-and-0 to Gunnar Henderson before he rallied back against the reigning AL Rookie of the Year to record a strikeout on a 91-mph cutter.
Treinen continued to pitch a scoreless eighth inning and former Orioles right-hander Evan Phillips handled the ninth for his 17th save. The bullpen performance came one day after five relievers held Baltimore scoreless over the final 4⅓ innings in a victory on Wednesday.
The Dodgers have plenty of momentum heading into the series against the Diamondbacks, but the bullpen has been busy leading into a start by Clayton Kershaw on Friday.
“You go in there and know that you have to execute,” Treinen said about facing Arizona. “And of course, if you want to be the best, you have to compete against the best teams. So I think we just go in and execute the way we know how, and trust that every aspect of the game is in a good spot right now, and I’ll take our chances anytime.”
Roberts has been getting production from all corners of the roster of late, with the club more balanced and not as top heavy when it was up to the top of the order to carry the show in the first half.
“Just something to build on,” Roberts said of a 7-2 homestand against the Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays and Orioles. “So now we can look towards the Diamondbacks, and those guys, obviously are playing great baseball, and it’s going to be boisterous, and a lot of people. A lot of Dodgers fans, a lot of D-backs fans, so it’s gonna be a great series.”
Four in the fourth! pic.twitter.com/TTNEKDtpUR
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 30, 2024
Dave Roberts speaks on the #Dodgers homestand and the upcoming series against the Diamondbacks. pic.twitter.com/rdMyewM2F1
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) August 30, 2024
Bobby Miller talks about how he felt tonight and where he was having success. pic.twitter.com/finfiYq3hW
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) August 30, 2024
Austin Barnes speaks on the #Dodgers win in his first game back. pic.twitter.com/uymfGCZ532
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) August 30, 2024
Blake Treinen with a yuge with a Y strikeout.
(: @MLB) pic.twitter.com/SnaWA9KjKi— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) August 30, 2024
Blake Treinen discusses the series win and his performance tonight. pic.twitter.com/ab3qiRV7pN
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) August 30, 2024
