A game-time temperature of 93 degrees was actually mild compared to the heat Bobby Miller brought to the mound.
Baseball’s No. 33 overall prospect struck out a career-high 10 over six scoreless frames in Double-A Tulsa’s 14-4 loss to visiting Arkansas on Sunday evening. Miller yielded two hits and three walks while matching zeros with No. 4 Mariners prospect Emerson Hancock, who tossed 5 2/3 shutout frames.
Prior to the offense kicking into gear after his departure, a pitching duel is exactly what Miller craves.
“I love those types of games,” the hurler said. “Especially when you are facing off against a good arm like [Hancock]. He threw the ball really well today and it was a lot of fun to pitch in that type of game. I seem to get a little more hyped up and locked in.”
It was a rebound performance for Miller, who was facing the Travelers for the second straight outing. The 23-year-old was tagged for five runs in 4 2/3 innings during the opener of the six-game series against the Travelers. No such issues plagued Miller in the finale. The right-hander kicked off his first double-digit strikeout performance by fanning six of seven batters beginning in the second.
“The biggest difference [between starts] was with two strikes. I was able to get my curveballs and sliders over and put them away,” Miller said. “I was leaving a lot of pitches up last time and I think I only threw about four sliders. I decided last year I needed to use that pitch more against lefties and we did that today. It worked out well.”
Arkansas mounted its lone threat against Miller in the fifth after a leadoff walk and an error put the first two runners on. A double steal moved both runners into scoring position with one out, but Miller whiffed consecutive batters to keep the game scoreless. The Louisville product and 2020 first-round Draft pick collected his 10th strikeout during a 1-2-3 sixth, ending his outing at 93 pitches.
Miller was quick to credit his catcher, Chris Betts, for his preparation and knowing the hitters, top to bottom.
“I trust [Betts] a lot. He works his tail off with game planning, like all our catchers do,” Miller said. “[Betts] reads the hitters and their swings. We both had the same type of idea of what we wanted to do out there today and that was to make them swing. This is a team that likes to go up there swinging and I used that to my advantage.”
The six innings equaled a personal high for Miller, who has surrendered two runs or fewer in nine of his 14…
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