News
Miller getting it done in Cards' 'pen
St. Louis (65-52) vs. San Diego (49-68), 6:15 p.m. CT
By B.J. Rains / MLB.com
08/15/09 2:00 AM ET
ST. LOUIS -- Trever Miller and the Cardinals had agreed on a two-year deal over the winter when a physical revealed damage to the labrum in his throwing shoulder. The injury wouldn't have kept the lefty from pitching, but it could have caused problems had it gotten worse. So the Cardinals, concerned with the potential multiyear investment for a player who wasn't fully healthy, decided to change the contract offer to one year. A disappointed Miller agreed. "It was unfortunate that the two-year deal fell through on a personal level," Miller said of the $500,000 deal that could reach as high as $2 million with incentives. "You work hard, and you expect to have that once in your career, and it just hasn't happen to me. I joke around that I am on a six-month deal every year. But all I have to do is just take care of myself on the field and those things tend to work themselves out." The move may actually be better for the lefty, who could be in for a big payday this offseason as he puts together arguably the best year of his career. Miller is 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA in 48 games for the Cardinals. "He's had an outstanding season so far," said manager Tony La Russa. "He's really done a great job of shutting down the big left-handed hitter in whatever situation we bring him in." Miller has been most impressive against left-handed batters, striking out 32 of the 72 he has faced. In addition, lefty's hold a .097 batting average against him. "I'm not trying to strike people out," Miller said. "I'm trying to make the quality pitch to make them put the ball in play and trust my defense. I pitch to contact. I like to throw a lot of pitches in the strike zone. "I think I'm throwing the ball as consistently as I have throughout my career. My work ethic and routine is what gets me from batter to batter, day to day, week to week, month to month, and before you know it, you're in September and it's a playoff race. Hopefully we can go to the World Series, and then I can look back on it when it's all done and say, 'Wow, that was a special year.'" The 36-year-old Miller has also helped to mentor a young Cardinals bullpen, showing the relievers how to do everything from staying conditioned to how to attack hitters. The nine-year veteran has been just what the Cardinals were looking for in all areas of the game. "He's been around for a while and he knows what makes him successful," said reliever Kyle McClellan. "He can make adjustments on the fly. You look at how he goes after hitters, each one's different." Miller has gotten better as the season has gone on, giving up seven earned runs on the season and just three since April 26. In 31 1/3 innings, he has given up just 21 hits and nine walks and has 35 strikeouts. And while Miller wishes he had another year left on his contract, he still hopes to be able to work something out so he can return to the Cardinals in 2010. "This is a dream organization for me," Miller said. "It's been everything and more from what I expected when I signed here. "I just have to stay positive and not dwell on what could have been and be happy and thankful for what I do have." Pitching matchupSTL: RHP Joel Pineiro (10-9, 3.22 ERA)
Pineiro gutted out his last start, in Pittsburgh on Sunday. He fell behind, 3-0, as Steve Pearce hit a two-run homer but stayed in to pitch seven innings and improve to 4-0 in his past seven starts. Pineiro allowed nine hits over seven innings but struck out six and walked none. He is 3-1 with a 3.43 ERA against the Padres. SD: RHP Tim Stauffer (1-4, 2.90 ERA)
Stauffer lasted five innings in his last start against the Mets on Sunday, allowing one run, though he ran up a high pitch count (96) and was gone thereafter. Stauffer, who got six ground-ball outs, had two walks and six strikeouts but frequently found himself in deep pitch counts against the Mets. Still, he managed to lower his ERA from 3.12 to 2.90 and figures to get plenty of more looks between now and the end of the regular season as the Padres evaluate their starting pitching options for 2010. Tidbits
The Cardinals are 9-3 against the Padres at the New Busch Stadium, including a four-game sweep in St. Louis last season. The Cardinals play the Padres two more times this weekend before playing four games in San Diego next weekend. St. Louis went 6-1 overall against the Padres last season and holds a career 246-171 margin against them. ... Albert Pujols has nine multihomer games this season. The club record is 10, set by Mark McGwire in 1998. Pujols also needs one more double for 30 on the season, which would tie him with Lou Gehrig for the most seasons (nine) with a 300 batting average, 30 home runs, 30 doubles and 100 RBIs. Tickets
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• Sunday: Cardinals (Kyle Lohse, 5-7, 4.34) vs. Padres (Clayton Richard, 6-3, 4.57), 1:15 p.m. CT
• Monday: Cardinals (TBD) at Dodgers (Chad Billingsley, 11-6, 3.73), 9:10 p.m. CT
• Tuesday: Cardinals (TBD) at Dodgers (TBD), 9:10 p.m. CT
B.J. Rains is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
