Miller Time

After beginning the season in Triple-A, lefthander Andrew Miller has quickly become one of the Red Sox most reliable starters since being summoned to the Big Leagues on June 15. 

When the Red Sox signed underachieving lefthander Andrew Miller to a minor league deal this past offseason, they did so with the intention of adding depth to an otherwise stacked pitching core.

Little did they know that after three starts, the 26-year-old southpaw would become one of the most reliable arms in the rotation.

Continuing to dazzle upon his re-call from Triple-A Pawtucket, Miller led the Sox to a 10-4 victory over the Astros Saturday night before a robust crowd of 39,021 at Minute Maid Park.

He pitched beautifully, scattering seven hits over six strong innings while allowing just two runs. Miller also struck out three and walked two batters, a great sign for a pitcher whose career was derailed due to control issues.

With the victory, Miller improves to 2-0 on the season with an impressive 3.06 ERA.

Not bad for a guy who had become somewhat of an afterthought after failing to make the Sox roster out of Spring Training.

"We're excited," said manager Terry Francona. "I think we've said it a number of different times and a number of different ways. I think he deserves a lot of credit. We talked about it before. Everybody looks at Opening Day as the finish line, and it wasn't."

Following management's plan, Miller began the season with the Paw Sox and re-established his command. In 12 starts, he went 3-3 with a 2.47 ERA, striking out 61 batters over 65.2 innings.

All the while, Miller never lamented his time in Triple-A or worried about whether or not he would ever make it back to the Big Leagues. Instead, he focused on the things he could control, his pitching, and let the other distractions sort themselves out.

"I didn't predict it would happen sooner or later," said Miller of joining the Sox starting rotation. "I was just worried about going down there and putting the work in and doing what I thought would get me to competing back at this level, which was where I wanted to be."

So when a bad back forced Clay Buchholz to the shelf, the Sox decided to promote Miller and give the former 6th overall pick in 2006 a shot at redemption.

After three strong outings, it appears Miller has finally found his groove.

"He was a mature enough kid to go to Triple-A," explained Francona. "I'm the one who gets to sit here and talk about it, but Rich Sauveur [Paw Sox pitching coach] and Ralph Treuel [minor league pitching coordinator] and those guys- and him- they did a great job and now he can help us win games. It's exciting."

After the All-Star break, the Sox will be forced to make some decisions about their pitching staff. With the return of Buchholz, one would assume his spot in the rotation would be guaranteed, alongside Lester and Beckett. Dice-K is out for the year after having Tommy John surgery, so he's out of the picture.

That leaves two open spots, one of which would likely be reserved for Lackey, who despite his infuriating inconsistency and overall lackluster performance, seems to be given a long leash due to his gargantuan contract.

So who gets the 5th and final spot in the rotation?

It would seem to be between Miller and the ageless Tim Wakefield to fight over.

As much as Red Sox Nation loves Wake, his roster spot seems more valuable and best suited as a spot starter/long reliever.

That would pave the way for Miller as the number five. As well as he's been pitching as of late, it's hard to see Francona getting in the way of something special.