NEW YORK (AP) – Andrew Miller 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. Same with Houston’s Chris Devenski, an All-Star who worked up to four innings per outing this season. The Cubs have a steady long man in 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.
“Especially with what you saw with Miller last year, sometimes the big out is in the fifth inning,” Green said. “That might be the big inning.”