Padres May Limit Miller to One Inning, Deny Pitch-Tipping — SkimNews
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- Mason Miller retired the Brewers' Nos. 2, 3, and 4 hitters on 12 pitches in the eighth inning of Game 2, then gave up three walks and a game-winning single by Jackson Chourio in the ninth as San Diego fell behind 2-0 in the best-of-five NLDS.
- Manager Craig Stammen said the Padres may adjust to keep Miller to one inning going forward, noting that Miller's struggles 'mostly happens in the appearances where he goes more than one inning' and that he's still learning to 'keep the same adrenaline' across multiple frames.
- Miller finished the regular season with a 1.67 ERA and an NL-leading 38 saves, but allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits and six walks across 12⅔ September innings, including two runs in a prior multi-inning outing.
- Brewers catcher Gary Sanchez, who drew one of the three ninth-inning walks, said he was not aware of Miller tipping pitches, adding: 'even if he was and we were aware of it, hitting 104 is not easy by any means.'
- Side-by-side stills circulating on social media appeared to show Miller's glove hand placement differing between fastball and slider grips — a tell that could be relayed from second base, where Christian Yelich had just stolen following his leadoff walk.
- Stammen brushed off the pitch-tipping theory, saying the Padres 'have a crew of people that are dedicated to that every single day' and that 'the internet can go crazy and take things farther than they need to go.'
Why it matters: With the Padres down 2-0 and facing elimination, how they deploy their All-Star closer becomes a high-leverage decision: using Miller for only one inning means more pressure on Adrian Morejon and the rest of the bullpen, while the pitch-tipping question — even if dismissed by Stammen — will linger if Yelich and Co. keep reaching base.
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