ST. LOUIS — The Brewers have been cautious since the first day of spring training, hoping to avoid exactly what happened with two outs in the second inning on Tuesday at Busch Stadium. Start with an athletic trainer.
The 36-year-old’s initial diagnosis was a strained left lat, and while he will need an MRI on Wednesday to get a solid test back in Milwaukee, the Brewers knew he would be placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday night. . This was tough news for Miley after he missed four months of last season with the Cubs due to a hand injury.
“I’ve made a lot of changes this offseason and spring training; I’ve taken a step forward in taking care of myself a little bit,” Miley said. “My training staff has been great about keeping me healthy. My shoulder has been fine since spring training. My biggest concern is my elbow.”
“That’s what baseball is for. We will get through the hurt. I have to pass now and hope to be back there before long.
Miley went straight into the clubhouse for evaluation, and reliever Elvis Peguero scored the tying run as the Brewers beat the Cardinals 3-2. The Brewers have built around their elite starting rotation, and Miley signed a one-year free agent deal to fill out a team led by All-Stars Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta and left-hander Eric Lauer. and Aaron Ashby, in depth with Adrian House.
With a quarter of the regular season in the books, things didn’t go to plan.
Woodruff went down with a right shoulder injury in the second week of April and will be sidelined until the end of June. Ashby didn’t throw a pitch because of a left shoulder injury, and manager Craig Council simply replied, “No update,” when asked about his recovery during the final homestand. House missed the first five weeks with a groin injury before returning on the final road trip. Lauer was drawn to the point where he jumped in the rotation last week. Colin Rea, who had been starting in Woodruff’s place, was optioned to Triple-A Nashville this week with a 5.52 ERA.
Miley was a bright spot before turning to some recent struggles, carrying a 1.86 ERA into May. Starting in the seventh inning on May 4 against the Rockies in Denver and continuing his seven-run streak against the Dodgers last week, he was charged with 11 runs over his final 6 2/3 innings.
Tuesday’s outing was especially sudden. After Miley pitched a 1-2-3 first inning with nine pitches, Nolan Arenado led off the bottom of the second inning with a game-tying home run — Arenado’s fifth straight game with a homer. Miley was playing with two pitchers and a runner when catcher William Contreras visited the mound. As he crouched behind home plate, Contreras signaled for the Brewers to dig out.
But Miley decided to move on. But before throwing the first pitch to Cardinals left fielder Brendan Donovan, Council called time from the bench and went to the mound with head athletic trainer Scott Barringer. Miley left the game.
“I’ve been through some weird stuff before and I thought I’d move on,” Mille said. “It probably wasn’t the best idea, but I went through a couple of outs and it just got worse and worse with every pitch I threw. The slider was one pitch that I didn’t feel anything about so I threw all the sliders to the next left and didn’t tell anyone until I was in the hole.
“But they saw something they didn’t like and Scott got out there. Probably for the best, hopefully.
His injury history includes nine stints on the injured list from 2017-22, including missing the last four months with the Cubs due to elbow and shoulder injuries. The shoulder issue was a subcapella strain, the same injury that has sidelined Woodruff this year.
But when he’s healthy, Miley is strong. In the year His 102 wins since the start of 2011 are ninth among left-handers. In the year He was a star pitcher for the D-backs in 2012 and threw a no-hitter for the Reds in 2021.