It feels like a lifetime ago that Bobby Miller took the mound for his season debut at Dodger Stadium in 2024, and looking like the bona fide ace this organization expected him to be.
So much has changed since then, and Miller is now a guy trying to find his way back in, having struggled more than anyone could’ve expected in his previous campaign. Miller’s chances to earn a rotation job out of spring training were basically gone by the wayside pretty early. Miller got hit in the head by a line drive early in spring and watched mostly from the sidelines as Dustin May earned that fifth starter spot.
A few weeks into the season, May looks outstanding, but if there is one thing a pitcher can count on during the course of 162 games, it’s opportunity, no matter how talented his team. It’s only mid-April, and the Dodgers are already using their eighth different starter.
In fact, Miller starting so early in the year says a lot more about the Dodgers’ current state of need than that of Miller forcing his way in. On the surface, Miller’s 2.25 ERA in a couple of minor league starts would show promise, but he is striking out less than a batter per inning, and a 1.417 WHIP isn’t all that encouraging. In a nutshell, he hasn’t been the guy we saw take the league by storm in 2023.
For a pitcher making his first start of the year, Miller couldn’t ask for a better environment than a duel against the Rockies at home. A Colorado offense that scored five runs in the first two games of this series, an infinite improvement on what they did last weekend against the Padres, getting shut out three straight times.
Offensively, the Dodgers have something to prove against the veteran Germán Marquez, who historically has been outstanding at Dodger Stadium, posting 2.89 ERA and 0.982 WHIP across 56 innings in Chavez Ravine.
Wednesday game info
- Teams: Dodgers vs. Rockies
- Stadium: Dodger Stadium
- Start time: 7:10 p.m.
- TV: SportsNet LA
- Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)
