After not taking the mound once during the National League Championship Series, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Shelby Miller is waiting to see if he will pitch in the World Series, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
World Series 2013: Shelby Miller waits his turn for Cardinals
Miller has not been used much in the postseason as he works out of a long relief role.
Dilip Vishwanat
Miller was the odd man out of the Cardinals rotation as the team went into the postseason. While Adam Wainwright and Lance Lynn were locks, Miller was passed up by Michael Wacha and Joe Kelly despite making 31 regular season starts.
The Cardinals instead opted to use Miller in a long-relief role, one that the team would rather not use. If Miller were to be called on, that would likely mean an injury or ineffectiveness by the game’s starter.
“He allowed us to make some moves knowing that we have him there,” manager Mike Matheny told reporters about Miller’s role. “He’s going to be a guy we’re going to use if we get into a situation where we’ve got a bunch of innings to eat up, whether it’s at the front end or back. He’s going to be our guy (if) we have to put things together.”
Miller has thrown in just one game in the 2013 postseason, allowing a run to the Pirates in one inning of work during Game 2 of the NLDS on Oct. 4. He has not pitched in the 16 days since and has just that one inning under his belt over the last 27 days.
Over his 31 regular season starts, Miller accumulated a 3.06 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP and struck out 169 batters. He is one of the frontrunners for the NL Rookie of the Year award this season.
The Cardinals say that Miller is still about 14 innings away from the limit the team has for him. Miller says that his arm is "fresh" and that he is good to go. It just remains to be seen whether St. Louis will have the need for his arm as they take on the Red Sox in the World Series.
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