Bullpen stars ready to follow Andrew Miller’s lead this fall
Managers will use big arms whenever, wherever needed.
Andrew Miller NEW YORK — turned the middle innings into a major stage last October, earning AL Championship Series MVP while pitching the Cleveland Indians into the World Series. This postseason, he’ll have company a crew of shutdown
— arms trained to do more than close out a lead in the ninth.
Managers have taken their cue from Indians skipper Terry Francona, keeping some lights-out pitchers in long relief roles that once existed outside of the spotlight. With starter workloads continuing to shrink, these playoffs could be when those middle men become household names.
There’s Yankees fireballer Chad Green, who has a 1.83 ERA but routinely pitches in the fifth or sixth innings (he entered in the first inning Tuesday, when he and three teammates combined for 8⅔ innings of one-run, fivehit relief ). Same with Houston’s Chris Devenski, an AllStar who works up to four innings per outing. The Cubs have steady long man Mike Montgomery (2.49 ERA in relief ), Arizona can call on Archie Bradley (1.73 ERA), and Colorado’s Chris Rusin (2.65 ERA) has reliably gotten six or more outs in the middle innings, too. “Sometimes the big out is in the fifth inning,” Green said.
The threat of playoff elimination is often a catalyst for creativity. Last year, traditional one-inning closers like Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman were stretched for eight or nine outs at times, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called on ace Clayton Kershaw for a save in Game 5 of an NL Division Series, and Cubs lefty Jon Lester made his first relief appearance in nearly a decade during Game 7 of the World Series.
Miller might be Francona’s most fruitful playoff trial. Miller’s transition to middle relief last fall keyed Cleveland’s run to the Series, with Miller — formerly an elite closer — eagerly entering games as soon as the fifth and powering through two-plus innings.
Miller’s success has put long relief in a new light. “It is changing the perception, for sure,” said Montgomery.
“I guess people look at long relief as the mop-up duty,” he added, but “we’re changing it to where you can pitch long relief in higher leverage situations.”
Pitcher usage is changing across the board. Starters covered an all-time low 5.5 innings per game this year, and teams have been even quicker with the hook in recent postseasons. Some of that is about pitch counts and injuries, but it’s also because managers want certain relievers in the game sooner. Take it from the hitters’ perspective: facing someone like Miller, Green or Devenski isn’t much of a reward for chasing away those starters.
Green has been particularly dominant in those middle innings this season. The 26-year-old has quietly dominated in a bullpen headlined by All-Stars Chapman, Dellin Betances and David Robertson. He has the best ERA out of that group this year despite averaging more than five outs per appearance.
Green has struck out 40.7 percent of his batters, trailing only closers Craig Kimbrel, Jansen and Corey Knebel among pitchers with at least 60 innings.
A starter in the minor leagues, Green hasn’t ruled out a return to the rotation one day. In the meantime, he’s bought into the idea that he can make critical contributions in the middle of games. “Games can be won or lost in the fifth or sixth innings because you’re getting to guys in the back of the bullpen that are lights out,” he said. “Teams might use their pinch hitter in the fifth or sixth and not wait until the ninth.”