An update on fellow Brandywine Heights (Berks County, Pa.) graduate Wade Miller.
The Boston right-hander was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder stiffness Aug. 9, a move that cleared room for recently-acquired reliever Mike Remlinger from Chicago.
Miller is 4-4 with a 4.95 ERA this season, missing the first
30 games while recovering from a strained right shoulder. His last outing was a 11-6 loss to Texas on Aug. 8, in which he allowed 10 hits and 4 earned runs over 4 1-3 innings.
The past year hasn’t been kind to the Topton, Pa. native. Miller frayed his rotator cuff halfway through 2004 and missed the rest of the season with the Astros. Before that, Miller was 7-7 with a 3.35 ERA in 15 starts before going on the disabled list June 29.
His best seasons were in 2001 and 2002, when he was 16-8
with a 3.40 ERA in '01 and 15-4 with a 3.28 ERA in '02.
In 2003, he pitched through a pinched nerve and was 14-13 with a 4.13 ERA.
Doctors believe the pain is what led to the frayed cuff, causing him to change
delivery.
Rather than risk it, the Astros didn't offer him a contract this winter. The
Red Sox signed him to a one-year, $1.5 million contract, with $3 million in
performance bonuses, based on innings and roster time.
With
this latest setback, Miller’s future is looking increasingly murky, and his status on the playoff-bound Sox becoming an afterthought.
It's interesting how things turn out, because I thought, at the time, this was a real steal for the Red Sox.
Posted by: Tom G | Monday, August 15, 2005 at 09:20 AM