Major League Baseball

Short of a sweep, Cardinals' Miller is set for his first playoff start

Published Oct. 1, 2014 9:22 p.m. ET

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ST. LOUIS — Not long before the Cardinals worked out at Busch Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, right-hander Shelby Miller said manager Mike Matheny approached him in the lunchroom.

Matheny's message: You've got the Game 4 start.

"It was not a big deal at all," Miller said following the workout before the Cardinals departed for Los Angeles.

Oh, but it really is a big deal.

It means Miller won't have to spend this postseason exiled to the bullpen with no real role, as was the case in 2013. After a so-so start to his 2014 season, being named to the rotation for the National League Division Series against the Dodgers shows how much Miller has progressed in his second season.    

Over his final 12 starts, Miller posted a 2.96 ERA while limiting opponents to a .196 batting average. In one stretch, he worked seven innings in three consecutive starts for the first time in his young career.

"I feel like I'm pitching a lot more than I have in the past," Miller says.

The emphasis there is on "pitching." By implementing a new sinker, Miller stopped throwing so many four-seam fastballs up in the zone. By keeping the ball down, he reduced his walks and stopped serving quite as many homers.

"He's finally trying some things," St. Louis ace Adam Wainwright said. "It's amazing when you start pitching, the results that happen to follow."

Still, if righty Michael Wacha was at the top of his game, Miller might have been omitted from postseason pitching again. Matheny admitted the decision to start Miller had about as much to do with Wacha's comeback from his scapula reaction as with Miller's strong second half.

"It's been a challenge for him," Matheny said about Wacha, the MVP of last year's NLCS. "The injury that he's had and taking that much time off makes it rough. He's made great adjustments, but right now we have to go with the guys we believe give us our best shot."

"I didn't make it back to where I wanted to be as a starter," Wacha added. "I'm in the bullpen now. Hopefully, I'll be able to pitch a little in some impactful innings."

Watch the Cardinals Live postgame show on FOX Sports Midwest after every St. Louis Cardinals postseason game.

The breakout star of last October, Wacha said he is pleased to see his regular-season rotation mate finally get a chance. While Matheny did not close the door on Wacha making a start if the Cardinals have an extended stay in October, Wacha said he has no problem working out of the bullpen this month.

"I'm hoping our starters go out and dominate, which I know they will," he said. "I'm just excited for them and for this team."

Before Miller makes his start, the Cardinals will turn to Wainwright in Game 1 on Friday, Lance Lynn on Saturday and John Lackey at Busch Stadium on Monday. Miller's turn comes Tuesday night.

That would give Miller two weeks between his final start of the regular season and his first career playoff start. He says the time off should not hurt and he is doing extra work to prepare. He threw a longer-than-average bullpen session Wednesday and plans another one of greater intensity in Los Angeles before he faces the Dodgers.

Miller pointed out that he's been given such extended breaks, including in July when he went 16 days between starts because the Cardinals felt his right arm needed a rest. When he returned to the rotation, he took off. Miller finished the season 10-9 with a 3.74 ERA in 183 innings, 9 2/3 innings more than last season.

He admitted his season "definitely had its ups and downs" but, unlike last season, he enters October trending in the right direction.

"I'm excited to pitch," Miller said. "I'm excited to help the team however I can. If that's Game 4 in this Series, hopefully we'll play a great one."

Ah, there's the possible hitch. If either team sweeps in the best of five, a Game 4 will not be necessary and Miller will have to wait some more before making his first postseason start. That would be a big deal, too.

CARDINALS NOTES

— The club left for LA on Wednesday afternoon and is planning to work out Thursday at 3 p.m. CT. Matheny said all decisions have been made about the postseason roster but would not be announced until the team is in LA. Rookies Greg Garcia, Tommy Pham and Sam Tuivailala already had been sent home.

— After dealing with illness in Arizona, Matt Holliday reported he feels much better and expects to be at full strength for Friday's Game 1.

— Numerous Cardinals, including Matheny, said they got caught up watching the AL Wild Card Game on Tuesday night, won by Kansas City over Oakland in 12 innings.

"That was one of the greatest games I've ever watched," Wainwright said. "You hate to see anybody lose that game. Both teams wanted it so bad, you could tell. I looked at Jenny (his wife) about the 11th inning and said, 'How great is baseball?'"

You can follow Stan McNeal on Twitter at @StanMcNeal or email him at stanmcneal@gmail.com.

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