Diamondback’s Miley great in loss

The Arizona Diamondbacks lost a heart breaker of a game against the Colorado Rockies Saturday 8-7.  The D-backs had battled back after falling in an early hole 5-1 after four innings and had the lead going into the bottom of the ninth when J.J. Putz blew his first save of the year on a two-out, two-run home run by Todd Helton.

For the second straight start Josh Collmenter struggled mightily.  Collmenter lasted four innings gaving up five hits, five runs, two home runs, walking three and striking out two.  His ERA after two games is a staggering 12.86 and while it has been well documented by our own Chris Czar why Collmenter will not be leaving the rotation any time soon, it might be time for Gibson and company to re-think its strategy.

While the starters seem to be hitting a slump, their is one member of the bullpen who has been lights out so far this year.  That man is Wade Miley, a late spring addition to the roster after it was revealed Takashi Saito would not start the season with the ball club after a right calf strain.

Miley has pitched brilliantly in relief, throwing a total of seven innings, allowing only two hits while holding both the Giants and the Rockies scoreless.  Miley is arguably the MVP of the pitching staff, the majority of whom have struggled as of late.  Miley is making his case to be a permanent member of the bullpen.

The way he has handled long stretches in the game is a testament to the type of work he could do for the Diamondbacks throughout the year, especially if Collmenter continues to struggle and needs help after only three or four innings of work.

 Unfortunately Collmenter is not the only person struggling on the team.  Justin Upton is still struggling with the effects from his jammed thumb and hopefully will recover sooner rather than later.

To say that it is too early to be worried about the Diamondbacks after their fast start would be correct.  It would also be incorrect to say the had no holes to fill.  They will need to do something about Collmenter, because they can’t continue getting only three or four innings of work from him and being down by five or six runs before the game is half over.  They will also need to get something out of Upton, but I am not worried about Upton, he will come around sooner or later.

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